It's All About Family
by Redwaters
Summary: A girl hides from her grandfather, who might be the Shredder, because he's willing to doing whatever it takes to get her and a necklace she wears. Will the turtle family be willing to help her and help find the whereabout of her losted family?
1. Run Away

_A/N: This story follows the cartoon time line. But don't worry, I'll have titles and when (need be) little summeries.  
Also I should add (for suspense reason) any disclaimers will be at the bottom of the chapter from now on.  
(Enjoy) _

* * *

_After 'The Shredder Strikes' _

**Run Away**

An oval shadowed figure ran down the streets of New York in the pouring rain. "Figures." It griped, while holding a pizza box above its head. It was a futile attempt to shelter it. The hood of a tan sweatshirt clung to sides of the figure's face, as does the kaki pants to its legs, because they were both soaked with water.

"We decided to have pizza tonight and the place doesn't deliver. So you're the one that will have to go get it, Donny." The shadow ducked under an awning for a brief moment of to give his arms a rest. "Why me?' I asked them, 'It's your idea.'" He ran from the awning towards the park. His hope was that the trees would provide better shelter from the rain than the pizza box. "Because you were voted to.' Mikey tells me. 'It's not far.' Leo tells me. Not far my foot." Donatello gripped the pizza box a little in anger. "Now I'm stuck running around in the rain. And I told them it's going to rain too. But do they listen to me? No. Raph just pushes me out the door and tells me, 'Better get going before it starts.'"

The young turtle gave a loud grunt of frustration. "Sure it was a good idea then, cause it wasn't raining. But what about now? Didn't bother to expect it to rain on the return trip, did they? Of course not. Now it's pouring and I'm soaked to the bone. I don't wanna hear any complaining when they get mushy pizza, that's all I have to say."

In the park the trees gave some shelter, but not as much as Donatello hoped for. Every so often water would fall from tree limbs that could no longer bear to hold the weight and splashed down upon the young turtle. After awhile Don's arms tire from holding the pizza box over his head and he lowers them to waist level. "Couldn't take the sewers, because they're swollen with the extra water from the storm." He slowed his running down to trot, so he could avoid large puddles that littered his path. "Couldn't take the Battle Shell, because its tires need changing. And speaking of which, do I get no help with that or the time to do it? Absolutely not. Couldn't bother to waste their time…*mumble…grumble*"

Donatello continued to rant to himself as he made his way through the park. Halfway through he to a rather large puddle that he wished very much to avoid. Unfortunately something slammed into him just as he was about to carefully walk around. This caused him to land in it face first and on top of the pizza box.

A splash to the right of the young turtle told him that he was not alone. '_Just my luck._' He thought while using his hands to push up onto his knees and spits out a mouthful of water. "Do you think it would have _killed_ you to have watched where you were going?" He asked sarcastically while turning to his right.

The figure next him was as soaked as Don was. A red hood covered the head, so he couldn't see the face. "R…run." A girl's voice panted as she pushed herself up on her hands and knees. "You never saw me and you never talked to me. It's for your own safety." She jumped to her feet, her black pants and red jacket clinging to her. The girl takes a second to glimpse behind her, before running the path. There she comes to a fork path and veers right.

Forgetting the pizza, Donatello jumps to his feet. "Whoa…wait a minute!" He cries as he goes after her. The girl was fast, so it took him a moment to catch up. "What's going on?"

"Mind your own business!" The girl cried back. "(Huff) Worry about yourself!" She quickens her speed.

Donatello quickened his speed also. "I'll worry about myself (huff) once I figure out what's going on." He grabbed the girl's arm when he was close enough and pulls her to a stop.

"Let me go!" The girl ordered. "I have to get out of here before they get me." She tried to pull her arm from the young turtle's grasp, but he kept a good hold. He then grabbed the girl's other arm and pulls her in front of him to get a good look.

The girl's face was white and sort of oval. She looked at Don with worry in her semi almond shape eyes. They were brown, just like the bits of hair that wasn't tucked into her hood. The hair just clung to her face, because it was soaked with rainwater.

Now while Donatello as looked into her hood, the girl looked into his. The young turtle assumed his hood was casting a shadow over his face, so girl couldn't see it properly. She gave no reaction to his look. "Who is after you?" He asked.

"Foot soldiers are." The girl told him anxiously. "They'll be after you too if you don't get out of here…and away from me!"

"Foot soldiers!" Donatello said with surprise. "Why are they after you?"

"I…I don't know! I mean, I didn't stick around to find out." The girl looked around nervously. "Now you really have to go now."

Donatello tried to her calm. "No I don't, I can help you."

The girl pleaded with him. "N…no. I can't involve any more people. Please, I don't need any more guilt on my conscience. Really, the man after me has destroyed so much. So much that…I can't take it anymore." She tried again to pull free from Don's grip. "Please, I have to go."

A snide voice called. "Too late for that now girlie." A tall man, decked out in the usual punk clothes, came out from behind a tree. "You've run far enough and we're tire of being wet." He swung a long chain in his left hand and a purple dragon tattoo could be seen on the back of that hand. "The boss wants to see ya and we're here to deliver ya."

About nine other Purple Dragons came from behind the trees to join their leader. Two were also holding chains, three were holding bats, two had knives, and two wore brass knuckles.

Donatello said as he released the girl's arms. "I do believe the lady doesn't want to go out with you jerks." He struck a defensive pose in front of her. "And if you'll want her, you'll have to go through me first."

"You heard the man." The lead Purple Dragon said as he pointed at Don. "Destroy him Dragons." The ones with brass knuckles were the first to attack. Both took a swing at Don's head, but he ducked under their fists and trips them with a sweep kick.

Next to come were the three Purple Dragons wielding bats. One guy took a swing for Don's head as the young turtle was standing back up. Don fell onto his back to avoid the attack, grabs the leg of his attacker, and yanks the leg out from under him.

A second Purple Dragon tried to bring his bat down on the turtle's middle, but Donatello caught it with his free hand. He twisted the bat out of the guy's hand and uses it to trip him. After that, Don jumped to his feet as the last Purple Dragon with a bat took a swing at the turtle's backside. When bat hit his shell, it shattered into many pieces. Donatello waved a finger at the punk that held the destroyed bat. "Made of poor wood." He did a swinging back kick and sent the guy flying.

Donatello looked around, while he straightened up, to see who was going to challenge him next. "Didn't know you could fight." He commented, when he saw the girl standing casually, swinging a chain. At her feet were the owner of that chain, two other men and their chains.

The girl's hood had fallen off, due to the small scuffle, showing that her brown hair was long enough to surpass her shoulders by a couple inches. "You never asked, just assumed." She tossed some hair away from her face. "Besides, I can't let you have all the fun now, can I?" A slight grin appeared on her face for a brief moment before it turned serious once more. "Duck!" She swung the chin in a large circle, sending an end towards the turtle.

Donatello bent down in time for it to go over his backside. The chain end knocked the knives from the last two Purple Dragons. Then, with the flick of her wrist, the girl whipped the chain back as Don straightened up in time to catch punches from the unarmed men and back-flip kicks them past her. When he jumped back to his feet, the hood of his sweatshirt falls off. Panicking, the young turtle wrestled to pull it back on.

The girl said with her head cocked to one side. "So you're not sick." Her hands were behind her back, the chain swaying lightly.

"She's teamed up with one of them turtles." A lackey Purple Dragon said. "Boy, the boss will be delighted if we bring them both in." He charged towards them.

"_If_ you can bring us in." The girl said as she kicked the back of the guy's legs, causing them to buckle. As he fell the girl brought her heel down on his ribs, to make sure he'd stay down. "Let's get out of here before the Foot come. They can't be far behind." The girl threw chain away, ran over to Don, and grabbed his hand in order to pull him along.

Not being given much of a choice, Donatello goes with her. He takes a brief moment to look behind him and faintly sees through the pouring rain about a couple dozen Foot soldiers chasing after them. "Well this can't be good." He commented. "Must be really something to have that many after you."

"No time to talk, must keep moving." The girl puffed as they moved more into the center of the park. In a short amount of time they came to a lake. "Dive in." She ordered. "Quickly."

Donatello started to protest. "But…"

"We're already soaked from the rain." The girl told him. "A little more water won't matter. Dive in!" She grabbed a couple of reeds and hands one to Don before jumping into the lake. "These will give us air while we're under."

"They'll just come in after us." Donatello pointed out as he jumped in. "I mean we could be seen in here."

"Trust me on this. The lake is as good a place as any to hide." The girl stuck the reed in her mouth and dove under the water. She held the other end of the reed out above the surface.

Donatello looked from the reed he held in his hand to the lake. '_What could it hurt?_' He let out a sigh before diving under the water with the girl, holding his reed out as well.

The two beings swam out to the middle of the lake and looked through the surface of the water to see Foot soldiers come to a stop at the edge of it. Don could see that the Foot had binoculars and were scanning the lake for them. When the black-wearing ninjas started looking in their direction, Don was sure that they could see him and the girl. He tugged on the girl sleeve and motioned that they should swim to the other side of the lake.

In return the girl motioned that they should stay put. Not understanding what the big deal was about staying where they are, and thinking it was a bad idea to do so, Don shrugged his shoulders. The two beings watch as the Foot looked around until the leader-of-the-pack pointed out directions for them to split up in.

After the last of the Foot soldiers leave, the girl motioned that she was going to go up. At first Don was skeptical about this move, but seeing that she had proven she obviously knew what she's doing he nodded and motioned that he would stay put.

Slowly the girl surfaced, in order to minimize the ripples in the water. When she saw that things were safe, she motioned for Don to come up and join her. "Seems the coast is clear…for now."

"How did you know they weren't going to come into the water and look for us?" Donatello asked while they swam for shore. "The lake isn't very big."

The girl said nonchalantly as she pulled herself from lake. "I just knew." She held out her hand to Don. "I've been running from these guys since I came to New York." He raised an eyebrow as he took it and the girl helped him out of the lake. "Here isn't the greatest place to talk. Don't know when they'll be back." Since she never really let go of his hand, the girl yanked him with her once more.

"Whoa, where are we going now?" Donatello asked while he was, once again, being pulled along.

"To my place." The girl informed him. "But we must hurry." She led him down different paths that twisted round in the park. "I don't want the Foot to catch wind of where it is, cause I don't want to lose a place of refuge."

In time they came to a particularly interesting looking tree, or rather it was two trees. The trees were thick and seemed to be twisting around one another in a loving embrace. They gave thankful shelter from the pouring rain to the turtle and the girl.

"Is this where you live?" Donatello asked as the girl lets go of his hand and runs up to the trunks.

"No." The girl reached into the hole that was in the middle of the twist. "Come on, I know I have a pouch of it…(urge)…here." After a couple of minutes of searching, a happy look came on to the girl's face. "Aha!" She pulled her arm out with a brown pouch in her hand. "And it's still dry, good." The girl stood up, dusted her knees off, and walked next to Don." Now to get out of here."

Donatello looked down at the pouch. "What is that?"

"Gloo powder." The girl told him while she opened the bag and dumped red powder in her hand. "Stay close." Don scooted in as the girl threw the red powder down at their feet. "HOME!" She called out.

The powder turned into a red cloud that engulfs them. "Wha…what's going on?" Don exclaimed.

"Relax and keep your hands by your sides. We're going in for a ride."

* * *

_A/N2: Gloo powder is a knock off idea from Floo powder. You know, the stuff used in Harry Potter (a J/K production)._


	2. Home is Where the Graffiti is

**Home is Where the Graffiti is**

The whole experience was like being dropped down a long red tube full of twists and turns. Though he was getting dizzy, Donatello looked over at the girl to see that none of this was affecting her. Just when it seem like he couldn't take anymore, the ride came to a sudden end.

"We're here." The girl announced. "It's not much, but I call it home." Once the world stopped spinning, Donatello looked around to see where they ended up.

The two beings stood in front of a three story, trashed up, graffiti ridden business complex. It's windows along the first two floors were boarded up. Trash bags, dumpsters, and cars that have been stripped of their parts lined the sidewalks. Not far, maybe a block down, were homeless people surrounding an oil drum with a fire in it to keep warm.

"Some neighborhood." Donatello remarked.

"You were expecting the Ritz?" The girl asked rhetorically.

"Why would you live in a place like this?" Donatello inquired. "The sewers look better in comparison."

"Because the Foot wouldn't think of looking for a person like me in a place like this." The girl explained. "Come on." She waved for him to follow after her as she walked into the building and up the stairs. "The bottom floors were unlivable, but I managed to fix the top one up into a nice loft apartment."

"If you say so." Donatello replied skeptically. "But even if you tried, I can't see how 'livable' you've managed to make a dump like this be."

"It took a lot of elbow grease, but it's ok." The girl replied like it was nothing. "By the way, watch about every third step." She warned while she took two steps at a time. "The wood has rotted too much to bare any weight."

"Why liv…whoa!" Due to the fact that he _wasn't_ paying attention to where he was going, Donatello's foot broke a step about six stairs up. His leg went through the hole, all the way up to his knee.

The girl stopped and turned around in time to see the young turtle grab the banister with his left hand. He tried to pull himself out, but the banister practically crumbled in his hand. She gave a little chuckle while coming back down to help him. The girl grabbed his right hand and, with a lot of tugging, managed to help him get his leg free.

Regaining his composer, Donatello looked up at her once more. "Again, why live in such a place like this?"

"Well…if the Foot wouldn't think to come looking for me in a neighborhood like this, I would think there would be a good bet that they wouldn't try looking for me in a dump like this either." The girl said while she headed up the stairs again. "They would never chance having to tangle with gangsters."

"But I thought the Foot was in charge of all groups around here, both gangsters and Purple Dragons." Donatello continued to follow the girl, while keeping a close watch on the stairs so as not to have the same incident happen again. "Why wouldn't the Foot override them?" He asked as the two come to a door at the top of the stairs.

"Oh come on." The girl said with exasperation. "The gangsters want to own New York, the Purple Dragons want to own New York, and the Foot want to own New York. The only people who won't fight for New York, are the people of New York. They seem to take whatever is going to be given." With her keys in the lock, the girl wrestled with the doorknob. "The only reason the Foot can hold down the fort around here is because of the Shredder." She gave the door a sharp shove with her shoulder in anger when she said that name. "Everyone fears him. Besides, the only reason the gangsters have their own territory is because the Shredder doesn't want be bothered with them."

After a couple minutes the girl managed to get the door open and allows Don to go in first. She followed in after him, looks down the stairs before closing the door behind her, and locks it. The place was a wide loft area, with at least twelve feet from ceiling to floor, and surprisingly cleaner than the building itself. Don had to take a look out the window to make sure he was still in the same neighborhood before looking around the place.

At the far end from the door was the kitchen area. In the right corner was a corner cupboard and counters that led in two directions. The counter going in the direction of the door had a sink and it ended with a dishwasher. In the other direction, the counter had a stove/oven unit. On the top (from the right corner to the stove) was a breadbox, toaster, and toaster oven. Past the stove was a refrigerator with a counter between the two electronics. In front of the stove and the sink was a kitchen table with a nice white lace tablecloth. A vase with a fake red rose and a fake white one sat on top of it in the middle.

On the left wall, next to the kitchen area, was a door to the bathroom. It was complete with a sink, toilet, and shower unit. Next to the bathroom door, at least a couple feet away, was a futon bed fixed nicely with thick wool sheets. Next to that was a folding Chinese wall. By the folding wall was a rope ladder leading up to the ceiling.

Above, about six feet from the ceilings long way, were a couple of pipes; one on either side of the loft. They were not along the wall, but at least a couple feet away. One was about a foot wide, which could probably be for water, and the other was a little thinner and didn't seem to of any use at all. In the center of the room, between the two pipes and also six feet from the ceiling, was a cable tightrope. Going width way, from the right wall to the left wall, on front area and back area of the loft, were planks of wood about a foot wide.

Opposite the 'bedroom' were a couple of canvass closets that held clothes, washcloths, and towels. There was also a canvass wash separator and a plastic wash basket. In front of the kitchen area, past the 'bedroom', was a well-used sofa. On either side of it were second-hand cushion armchairs. In front of the sofa was a red beanbag chair with a duck-tape patch on it and in front of that was a coffee table with many scratches. Against the wall, a few feet from the front door and in front of the seating area, was a 20-inch TV in medium condition; on top where rabbit ears with tin foil on the ends.

In the right corner was an old black potbelly stove and a pile of firewood next to it. A pipe went from the stove to a hole in the ceiling to let smoke out. There was a seal around the pipe to keep nature from leaking in to the place. From the left wall corner, leading way from the door, was a showcase and a bookshelf. The bookshelf was full of books that Don had and had not seen before. The showcase held items the girl seemed to obtain through her travels. That is, if she traveled.

Suddenly Donatello realized that he knew absolutely nothing about this girl. He didn't know her reason for running in the rain from the Foot or even her name. "So who are you and what is your story with the Foot, Purple Dragons, and especially the Shredder?" The young turtle asked the girl as she headed for the canvass closets. "Seems you have a distaste for him."

"Gee, wonder what gave you that idea?" The girl replied sarcastically as she pulled out a couple of towels and tosses one to Don. "I don't think I have any clothes that are big enough to fit you. Sorry." She pulled out some cloths for herself. "Allow me to go change and then I'll tell you what you want to know." The girl handed Don a wooden rack. "You can hang your clothes on this to dry. There is kindling and matches by the belly stove. Why don't you light a fire to warm this place up?"

"Uh…ok." Donatello said with surprise. "It seems strange that you are not freaked out by teaming up with a mutant turtle or fact that he's standing in your…um…living room."

The girl shrugged. "Nothing new that I haven't already seen. Besides, I can see that we might be in the same boat." She walked to the bathroom and closed the door behind her.

"Strange girl." Donatello muttered while he shook his head. "Hasn't even asked _my_ name." He went over to the belly stove, sets up the rack, put the clothes on it, and lights a fire. The young turtle was working on to keep the fire going when his Shell Cell went off. "Yello?" He answered while stoking the fire to make it strong.

"Dude! Where's the pizza?" Michelangelo's voice cried through the cell. "We been waiting for, like, ever and we're starving."

"Get it yourself." Donatello said in an irritated voice. "As far as I know it's mush by now."

"What are you talking about?" Michelangelo asked with a puzzled tone in his voice.

"Well let's see, it's pouring rain and the box got soak." The purple clad turtle informed his young orange clad brother nastily. "That means the contents inside would have gotten soak also, therefore causing the pizza to turn into mush. Of course, dropping it into a puddle didn't help matters any."

Raphael's voice came over. "Ya dropped ar' dinner inta a puddle?"

"Dude, I was talking to him." Said Michelangelo. "Give it back!"

"Not till I find out why he dropped ar' dinner inta a puddle." Raphael said.

There was struggling and grunting as the two fought over the phone till two thudding sounds end it all and a new voice came through the cell. "This is Leo." It would seem that the elder brother had kicked both younger ones away from the cell and took himself. "Now how _did_ our pizza end up in a puddle?"

"I told ya, I dropped it." Donatello's voice started to take on a growl. "Look, something happen that made me drop it and if you think I'm going to out to parlor to get another one in this weather, you're crazy. I don't think I'll even make it home until late, not with the way it's storming out there." He looked out the window to make sure his story would hold up. And sure it enough it would, because it was now rain hard enough for buildings to be unseen.

"So where are you going to stay?" Leonardo's voice now had concern in it. "Will it be safe?"

"I found shelter, yeah." Donatello's voice calmed down a bit. "It's not much, but it'll keep me dry and warm."

"What are you going to do for food?" Leonardo asked.

"I bet he's eating the pizza right now." Michelangelo's voice is faint, but could be heard. "It didn't fall into a puddle, he just doesn't want to share."

"Tell Mikey to put a sock in it." Donatello's voice went back to being irritated. "If he wanted pizza so bad, he should have gone out in the rain to get it himself. Then he wouldn't be the one sitting out in the middle of nowhere, with an empty stomach, and a million questions going through his head."

"Whoa, calm down. Geez, forget about it already. We'll forge for something here. You just take care of yourself." Leonardo said coolly, so as to lighten the mood a bit. "See you later or tomorrow maybe, weather permitted of course."

"Yeah, k, bye." Donatello hung up the cell.

"Must be nice to fight with family." The girl said as she came toward Don, a towel over her head. She now wore a black spandex gymnastic suit and black baggy sweat pants.

Donatello stood up to towel off. "I guess so." He mumbled.

When he was done, the young turtle turned to see the girl leaning on the back of the couch; must have been watching him for a moment or two. There were some things around her neck that caught Don's attention. One was the tattoo looking roses around and over her shoulders. It started out with two in front of the neck; one was a purple on the left and the other was a red on the right. Going from the purple rose to her left shoulder was a blue, an orange, and a red resting on the shoulder. From the red rose was a yellow, blue, and black rested on the right shoulder.

The other thing that caught his attention was a necklace. It was a circular gold object resting on her chest. The girl noticed the young turtle looking at it and flips it around for him to get a better look. It had a red circular jewel surrounded with a centimeter of gold and a gold back. It was two inches in diameter and it hung on a gold braided chain about 11/4 inches long.

After giving him a smile, the girl straightened up and walked over to the stove in the kitchen area. She took a teapot that was sitting on top of it and fills it up at the sink. After getting some teabags from a cupboard, she came back to the couch. While carrying the teapot in her left hand, the girl rubbed her hair dry with her right. Once at the belly stove, she set the pot down on its top before going over to the couch. Then the girl flopped onto the couch and leans forward, to rest her elbows on her knees while putting her head in her hand.

Don took a seat next to her and could see that on her back, just below her neck, was more tattoos looking roses. Going from left to right the roses was magenta, two pink, and dark magenta.

"They're birth marks. I've had them since…forever." The girl explained. "Don't know how they got there or why. But I do have a tattoo." She lifted up her right pant leg to show a dagger in a sheath on her calf. "Had it since I was really young."

"Oh, that's nice…I guess." Donatello commented as he leaned back on the couch. "So how about answering my question?"

"Hmmm? Oh, right. You need a bit of an explanation, dontchya?" The girl pulled the towel down around her neck, takes a comb from the coffee table, and combs her hair.

"Would be nice." Donatello said as he watched her.

The girl moved her hair from over her right ear and Don noticed something else he hadn't before. She wore a sword earring with a blue jewel in the handle and it dangled on a chain hanging an inch from her earlobe. The girl noticed him looking at her earring. "Had that a long time too." She told him while she finished combing her hair, braided it, and tied off with a rubber band from the table. When she was done, the girl tossed the comb onto the table and leans back. "Guess I should start with my name."

Donatello looked up at the ceiling, as does the girl. "Good place to start."

"My name is…" There was scratching at the door. "Hmmm…?" The girl got up off the couch and goes over to the door. She unlocked it, opened it slowly, and looked down. "Oh…Luna, poor thing. Both you and Fury are soaked to the bone."

A black cat, its hair matted to its body from the rain, walked in. "Thank the Elements that you're ok." It exclaimed. "We got separated and it was too hard to see in the rain. We figure that you'd be home if you weren't at the park."

The girl kneels down and picks the black cat up in the towel. A falcon flies pass her and lands on a chair that was on the side of the couch the girl once sat at on. It shakes its body and water flies everywhere.

"F…Fury!" The girl put an arm up in protection as Don put up the towel he held. "We were almost dry."

"Sorry." The falcon took flight again and lands on the chair near the belly stove. "Ah…that feels good. Nice warm heat." The girl gave a laugh as she rubbed the cat dry and walked back to her seat on the couch.

Donatello had the look of amazement on his face. "Um…the cat and the falcon…both talk?" He asked.

"Uh…yeah." The girl answered sheepishly. "Now that all the interruptions are over, I'll give you that explanation you want. Starting with my name."

"How about starting with who this…uh…guy is?" The falcon said as she looked at Don closely. "That is, aside from being a giant talking turtle."

"Well, his name is…um…" The girl put a finger to her chin. "I really don't know." She looked over at him.

The black cat popped its head out of the towel. "You invited some turtle into your house without even asking his name?"

"How could you be so careless?" The falcon chided.

"It's ok, it's ok." The girl waved a handed at the falcon and stroked the cat with the other. "He's on our side."

"So he's not with…you-know-who?" The falcon asked.

"If you mean the Shredder, no. Never. " Donatello replied. "He after us also."

The cat looked at him. "Us?"

"My brothers, master, and I." Donatello answered.

The falcon cocked its head to the side. "And you are?"

"Donatello." The young turtle informed them. "Yes, named after the Renaissance artist." He said quickly, before they could ask.

"Well, my name is Racqel." The girl said. "That is Fury." She pointed at the falcon. "And this is Luna." She held up the towel that had the black cat. "I know it sounds like I've named her after that cat in Sailor Moon, but I didn't. I've had Luna since I found her at five years old and that was before Sailor Moon ever came out. I'm into Greek mythology and stuff."

"I wasn't going to say anything." Donatello replied.

"I know, but I just get so much grief about it." The girl sighed. "I don't think you want to learn why Fury got her name, suffice to say I sorta gained her along the way." Don nodded to show he understands. "I guess you can say they're my protectors. But I'm getting ahead of myself. I should really start from the beginning."

Donatello made himself comfortable. "Might be a good idea."

* * *

Disclaimer: Luna _is_ a product of Sailor Moon. I guess the idea to name the cat did come from SM, but I think giving pets Greek/Mythical names are kind of cool.

_A/N: I forgot to mention that there is a prelude to this story, I just haven't written it. It's kind of stuck in my head at the moment. When I write it, I'll probably get a bunch of 'should have know' ;p._

_Anyway, the amulet described is like one Suntop wears in 'Elfquest' or from 'Rats of Nim'.  
Thanks for reading, until next time._


	3. Herstory

**Herstory**

"I guess the best way to start is with a story I was told when I was little." The girl told Don. "It was about this old man who used to live in China with his son and his son's wife. They were a rich family, but because China was converting over to Communism it was no longer safe for them to stay. So they spent all that they had and ran away to America.

In America they were poor, but together, and they had high hopes of starting a new life. Back in China they had a great medical practice that brought in a wealthy income, but foreign medical practitioners had to go through a lot of red tape to have a practice here in America and it would cost money they didn't have to get through it all. Luckily the old man had knowledge in science also and he was able to get a job at a local research facility that was in desperate need of people. But the pay wasn't much, so the son took up construction work to bring in a second income and his wife took care of the house.

One day the old man came home to receive news that an accident at work killed his son. Not long after the death, a man named Oroku Saki came to seduce the widowed wife into marrying him, using with his wealth and power. The widow found or felt she really didn't have much of a choice and reluctantly agree. Disgusted with his daughter-in-law's decision, the old man disappeared with out a trace. He believed this Oroku Saki murdered his only son. Later he found out the man was also know as the Shredder." A shiver ran down Racqel's back and she shook it off before continuing.

"Anyway, the wife had a child…a girl. But it was undetermined on whether it was from Saki or her first husband. When the daughter grew up to be an adult, the Purple Dragons…um…raped her and her best friend. Orders of the Shredder." Racqel blushed at this. "He wanted an offspring produced for him by his 'daughter' and her friend was just the product of 'wrong place at the wrong time', or maybe it was planned that way. I'm…I'm really not sure."

"No way." Donatello said with disbelief. "How wrong is that? Not only did he just let his men have their way with any woman, but also with his own daughter?" He slammed a clenched fist on the couch arm in anger; all Racqel could do was just shrug. "Well, it's obvious that since this story has to do with you…" Don put a finger to his lower lip to think. "The woman rapped must have been your mother." Racqel slowly nodded. "And her mother must have been your grandmother, so that makes the Shedder your…"

"Maybe." Racqel snorted. "Not that I would believe it." She shook her head. "There's no proof saying he is…" she lowered her eyes, "…course there's no proof saying that he isn't."

"So why did the Shredder want you mother to produce off-spring?" Donatello asked.

"Something to do with the amulet I wear. There is something about it that makes him want it. Why he wants it or why it's so important to keep it away from him, I'm…I'm not totally sure…"

"That's got to be the pits." Donatello sighed. "Not only do you have the possibility of sharing the same genes as the Shredder, but your biological father is a Purple Dragon."

"Subtly isn't your strong suit, is it?" Luna asked. "You just kind of say what's on you mind without thinking." Don's cheeks turned red a little.

"Luna!" Racqel scolded as she looked down at the black cat. "Be nice. I'm sure he meant no harm by it." She looked back up at Don. "Whether I'm the Shedder's granddaughter or not has yet to be determined, but I do know that I'm not the daughter of a Purple Dragon."

"Really? That's good news." Donatello smiled. "So do you know who your father is?"

"Yeah. You see my great grandfather, father of son that was killed, was a scientist and a wizard." Racqel started to explain. "He came up with…" But she was interrupted.

"Whoa, wait a minute." The purple clad turtle waved his hands in a 'time-out' sign. "There are such things as wizards?" He asked with surprise.

"Oh yeah." Racqel gave the turtle a sheepish grin. "You don't know about that. I'll explain about it later." She cleared her throat. "Anyway, my great grandfather and an assistant of his, who was also a scientist and a wizard, came up with this drug that had to deal with using another man's…uh…you know. It gets the stuff juiced up and hunts down the other…stuff and destroys them."

Donatello was surprised with this idea. "You mean they came up with a new kind of Spermicide?"

"In a way…" Racqel rubbed the back of her head. "It is suppose to get rid if the intruder that invaded the woman's body, but because it is unknown the…um…amount of…(ahem)…stuff going in, there was a greater chance that the woman would get pregnant than no drug at all. So then the drug was used for choosing whose child she could have. Like if she was a married woman or someone with a boyfriend."

"So your father would be…"

"As far as I know it was the assistant that gave the stuff to make the experiment work. So yeah, I sorta have an idea. But strangely enough, my mother actually had more than one child. Somewhere out there I have brothers. One is three years older than me _and_ I have a twin." A confused look came onto Don's face. "I'm guessing that the drug seemed to make the men's stuff live longer." Racqel had a confused look as well. "I'm not really sure how it all works." She let out a depressed sigh. "I never met my mother. A month or two after my older brother was born, she gave him over to my father. When my twin and I were born, the same fate happened to us. I was told that she didn't want anything to do with any of us, brought her too many bad memories I guess.

After giving my twin and me away, mother just disappeared. As for my father and brothers…" Racqel's face took on a concentrated look, like she was trying to remember something from a long time ago. "I…it's hard to…over the years I have forgotten things about them. Faces have faded into shadows, voices are hard to recall, touch…" She gave a deep sigh while relaxing her expression. "But what I do remember about them all is that I loved them, especially my father. And…and I thought…I thought he really loved me too." She shook her head in sadness before continuing with a little resentment in her voice. "But instead he took my brothers and left me with my great grandfather when I was five. I was told that he didn't want a girl around to slow him down." Racqel pressed the palms of her hands into legs and glared at the coffee table in front of her. "I don't understand how could he do that?" She whispered harshly.

"That can't seem to be right. I mean, if he loved you why would he leave you?" Donatello asked her. "Who told you he did that?"

The kettle went off and Racqel got off the couch to get it. "My great grandfather."

Fury flew to cupboard and came back with two cups in her talons, just as Racqel came back to the couch with the kettle. After taking the cups from the falcon, the young girl sat back on the couch and hands one to Don.

"Continuing on, we leave New York with a young boy named Jason. He was the child left in my father's care by my mom's best friend, the one that got raped with her." Racqel poured tea into Don's cup before pouring some into her own. "He was the one that had the misfortunate of being the son of one of the Purple Dragons. Jason was born a year before my twin and me, two years after my older brother." She blew into her cup to cool it so she could take a sip.

"Wait. He had a different father from you?" Donatello was confused. "Didn't the drug work?

"My mom's friend was not given it and I'm unsure as to why." Racqel put a finger to her chin to think about it. "Guess cause she wasn't related, refused, or something like that." She took the finger away to hold her cup in both hands.

Donatello took a sip of tea before saying, "So I'm guessing that the reason your father had Jason was cause his mother didn't want him."

"From what my great grandfather had told me, she gave up Jason for his and her own protection. Like I said before, his father was one of the Purple Dragons. We don't who it is really, but it was obvious that the woman feared the father and didn't want her son to grow up like him." Racqel let out another sigh. "Anyway, he was abandoned with me by my father. Probably because he wasn't related, so he didn't see Jason as his problem. " She took another sip of her tea. "From then on, it was Wizard World in London for schooling during the winter and China for summer vacation."

"Alright, hold it." Being careful not to spill his tea into his lap, Donatello did another time-out sign with his hands. "Now you said that wizards exist, but what is this about a Wizard World?"

"Wizard World is where magical people go to live in peace from non-magical people. They have schools there for those with the special gifts to become wizards and witches." Racqel explained. "Great grandfather learned in one at China, was top in his class. The assistant, my father, was top of his class in London. When great grandfather left New York after his son was killed, he left America altogether. He moved into a Wizarding School in London to teach 'Potion Making', that's where he met my father. Someday I'll have to tell you the history of them meeting, at least what I know."

"Can't wait to hear it about that."

"Anyway, when great grandfather went to look for a safe place to stay, he decided to go back to the school in London. They had great protection there and they welcomed him back to teach in exchange for what we needed. During our time there, Jason and I had the education we would have gotten at regular grade school plus knowledge of how the Wizard World worked. In the summer, when school was out and we needed another place to say for three months, great grandfather decided China was safe enough to come back home to. There, Jason and I were taught martial arts and swordplay. Jason got weightlifting and Bo staff training as an extra while I got gymnastics and archery."

"Sounds like an interesting learning experience." Donatello said with a dreamy kind of look on his face. It was like he was trying to picture what it was like going to go to school where there was magic and then having to go to another country for a vacation.

"Yeah." Racqel nodded. "And when we were back in China, great grandfather could have his medical practice again. During the summer he treated people to earn some extra cash. As assistants, Jason and I learned a few key things in the medical sense. Great grandfather taught me potion-making and how to identify herbs and spices needed to make them."

The girl put her cup down on the coffee table and lowered her eyes to look at the light brown liquid surface. Luna, who had to leave Racqel's lap when she got up to get the teakettle, came back to sit in the human girl's lap and nuzzled up under her chin.

Racqel stroke the black cat for comfort. "All was well until summer four years later. We were in China…it was really beautiful that time of year. Great grandfather owned a house out in the country with lots of green grass and flowers in the fields. We were having a great time outside, Jason and me, when we saw the Foot come at us. We ran into the house to warn great grandfather, but came in just in time to see the Shredder pull out a…sword he had just run…great grandfather through with." A tear rolled down from Racqel's eye. "We were shocked for a moment, but we knew we had to run. That we had to get away." She took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "Jason and I managed to get to great grandfather's lab and found the Gloo powder. With it we escape to the Wizard World, but we couldn't stay out in the open long. We knew that the Shredder would be able to find us soon if we did."

Donatello set his cup down on the table and put a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Geez. I'm sorry." He said sympathetically.

"Oh it gets worse, believe me." Racqel gave an angry chuckle. "With the Gloo powder, we were able to get over to London…but we couldn't go straight to the school. To get there we had to take a train.

Even though it would be hard for him to get into the Wizard World, the Shedder would eventually gain access and he would find where the school was. This put them in danger. That meant Jason and I could not stay there for long. Plus…without great grandfather, we had no real connection or payment. The school did, however, let us stay long enough for us to gather piece of mind. You know, to figure out what our next move should be."

Racqel cupped the amulet in one of her hands to look at it. "It was there that we were given some sort of sign, a sign from great grandfather about going to New York." She rubbed the back of her head with her free hand. "Never understood why we had to come back though. I mean…this _is_ where the Shredder is home based. Why come back to a place where the man who was hunting us down lived at?" Racqel heaved yet another sigh. "But there was this great insistence that we get back." She gave a shrug. "We had no Gloo power left to get back with or the ingredients to make it. We couldn't take public transportation, because we knew that Shedder would be expecting that. So we traveled by foot back to New York. This was good idea though, because we used the traveling experience as part of our training."

Donatello picked up his cup from the table. "Well, it's not like you would have the money to travel with anyway." He commented casually before taking a sip of tea.

"You assume a lot, don't you?" Racqel chuckled, causing Don to blush. "We had money, lots of it. It was left to us in a wizard bank by great grandfather, but we decided to use very little of it until we got to New York." She also took up her cup again. "Since we had to travel by foot, we decided to travel through the Wizard World. That way there was less of a chance of bumping into the Shredder or his minions. We could handle many things in the Wizard World, but the Shredder we could not."

"What stuff was there in the Wizard World?" Donatello asked as he watched the girl take a sip from her cup.

"Giants, trolls, and other stuff like that." Racqel answered in a ho-hum kind of way. "We were pretty sure that Shredder wouldn't know how to handle things like that. A year later, when I was ten and Jason was eleven, we end up with a widow mother and her son. They invited us to stay with them awhile in a nice country house they own. The land was beautiful and we never knew when we had to be in New York. So we spent a year with them. Until…" The young girl lowered her eyes once more.

Donatello set his cup back down on the coffee table. "Sounds like more bad news is coming." He crossed his arms and leaned back on the couch.

"When is bad news not coming?" Racqel asked while she set her cup back down also. "Remember when I said that the Shredder destroys families?"

Donatello gave a sigh. "…yeah."

"Well, that family was yet another one of them." Racqel explained sadly. "They didn't have a lot of money and the son had dreams of becoming rich while also being powerful. He was known for always wanting to take the easy way. Using that ambition and knowledge, the Shredder offered him what he wanted in exchange for Jason and I. With money and power dangling in front of him like a carrot to a starving donkey, the boy accepted without thought to what consequence would come with it.

One day the son drugged us and was in the process of hand us over to Shredder when his mother burst in to our rescue. Shredder didn't like being double-crossed." Racqel's voice turned grave while she put her hands on her knees. "The Shredder never likes being double-cross." She griped the knees of her pants so tight her knuckles turned white. "He killed the son on the spot." There was a growl in her voice. "Gave the mother a deadly blow as we escaped." She let out a sad sigh. "Once we were safe, the mother died. After that, Jason and I never stop at another family's house or accepted any hospitality ever again."

Donatello shook his head. "Wrong, just wrong."

"Yeah." Racqel relaxed her hands. "After that, we figured that the Shredder knew where we were heading and made a detour to Hawaii. We were going to hang out there until the coast was clear enough for us to get into New York undetected, but we were found out.

At the time Jason was fourteen and I was thirteen." Racqel heaved another deep sigh. "Jason was caught first and, though I got away from them then, I was eventually caught too. We were taken to New York separately and I was brought before the Shredder.

He tried to me to join him. 'I could teach you much and besides, you're family.' He told me." Racqel clenched her fists tight again.

"I'll never join you.' I told him. 'I'll never forgive you for what you have done. You have destroyed my great grandfather's family, that family, _my _family. And I'll never forgive you for killing great grandfather.'

The Shredder got mad and yelled, 'THAT MAN WAS NOT YOUR GREAT GRANDFATHER!' then he calm down a bit. 'Believe it or not, _I_ am your grandfather. That man's son died before your mother was born. She is _my_ child, you are _my_ grandchild and you belong to me.'

"I belong to no one.' I told him. 'And I'll never call you grandfather." Then Racqel wrapped her arms around her, like a hug. "That really made him mad.

'We'll see about that.' He said so cruelly that it sent an icy chill down my spine.

'Where's Jason?' I demanded.

With a snap of his fingers, a screen was brought down and a projector turns on. 'Right here.' He said so coldly it made my heart want to jump up into my throat.

I watched what was on the screen and it was…it…it was horrifying." She started to rock a little as tears poured down her eyes. "The Shredder showed me his scientists…dissecting Jason."

Donatello couldn't believe what he heard. "He what?"

"There was tape over Jason's mouth, muffling his screams of pain as they cut a slit down from his chest to his stomach. His legs and arms were strap to the table. I had to watch while they peeled back the skin…the muscles. I watched while they split his rib cage apart to look at his organs. His heart was still beating and his lungs inflated…deflated."

Racqel wiped her face with one of hand as she left the other one wrapped around her. "(Sniff) They dissected him while he was alive and wake. I…I was so sick I…I threw up." She couldn't control her tears anymore and began to cry really hard. "All Shredder c…could do w…was laugh. Asked…asked if I changed my mind now, but I didn't. I…I just hated him even more. The rage…the rage built up inside and…I blacked out."

Racqel shook her head; her voice was cracked. "I don't know what happen, but I awoke outside of New York with my clothes in shreds. Fury flew overhead and Luna was licking my face. She asked if I was alright, but I couldn't say anything." Racqel wiped her face again. "Jason…Jason was all that was left and now he was no more. I've been alone, save for Luna and Fury, for two years now. One was spent outside of New York, but I knew eventually I had to come back for good and so I did. So h…here I am." Racqel rested her elbows on her knees and buried her face in her hands. She let it all out while Luna licked the tears from her chin.

Donatello uncrossed his arms and rubbed the girl's back with one of his hands.

"Losing Jason was hard for her, because not only was he the last person to go through this whole ordeal with, but he was her first boyfriend too." Fury told the turtle. "They started going steady not too long after her great grandfather's death."

"I…I want to say I know the feeling, but I guess I can't." Donatello said quietly, sympathetically. "But I know of someone else who lost his family to the Shredder. My master, Splinter. He lost his master, Haomoto Yoshi."

Racqel stopped crying, her ears seem to have perked up when she heard the name. It sounded familiar to her. She looked at Don after she wiped her eyes once more.

Donatello lowered his eyes now and turned away to look at the shelves. "The Shredder thought Yoshi knew something and when he wouldn't talk, killed him in front of my master."

Racqel used the towel to blow and wipe her nose. "I'm sorry."

"Yeah. I figured that now that we got rid of the Shredder, things would be safe." Donatello said with a shrug.

Racqel's eyes widen. "You got rid of the Shredder?"

"Actually it was my master who did." Donatello said proudly. "Dropped a wooden water tower on him." He clapped his hands together to make his point more clear.

"I can't believe it." Racqel laughed.

"But I can see the Foot and the Purple Dragons are still running about just the same." Donatello pointed out.

Racqel put a hand over the amulet. "That's maybe why they're after me…" Racqel said quietly to herself.

Donatello looked at her. "What?"

"Huh?" Racqel was caught by surprise. "Uh, n…nothing." She looked at the clock. "Oh my…it's late." She looked out the window. "Doesn't seem the rain will stop. So I guess you'll be staying the night?"

"Is that alright?" Now it was Donatello's turn to be surprised. "You don't mind?"

"If I did I wouldn't have asked." Racqel chuckled. Don didn't seem to look like he understood the joke. "It's ok. Besides, I owe you for saving me and bending your ear." She got up from the couch and goes over to the canvass hamper to put the towels in. After that, she grabbed some blankets for Don to use. "The couch has a hide-away bed. I don't know how good the mattress is though, it's a used couch. Don't have the luxury of shopping."

"I'm sure it will be fine." Donatello said while he pulled out the bed. "Thanks."

"Um…good night. Uh…don't forget to put out the fire when you're done with it." Racqel told him as she backed to her 'room'.

Donatello waved to her. "I will…. Uh…good night."

Racqel gathered her nightclothes and went into the bathroom. After a couple of minutes she came back out, puts her clothes in the hamper, and unfolds the wall around the futon before going to bed. Luna joined the young girl in her 'room' and Racqel pets the black cat until she falls asleep.

Donatello prepared his bed after putting out the fire. He used the bathroom and turned out the light before going to bed himself.

Fury stayed on the chair and watches Don for a while. It unsettled the turtle to see two yellow eyes looking at him in the dark, but eventually he falls asleep.

* * *

Disclaimer: I'm using Jason from Power Rangers (a Saban Product) and of course we all know the Wizard World is from Harry Potter, which is a J/K Rowling product.

_A/N: Now let me just clarify a few things. This is not Harry Potter/Ninja Turtles crossover nor is it a Power Ranger/Ninja Turtle crossover. I will be pulling in characters from other places. Who are they? Well you'll just have to wait to find out.  
Thank for reading, until next._


	4. Let's Be Friends

**Let's Be Friends**

Donatello woke up the next morning to the smell of eggs, bacon, and cinnamon raisin toast. He let out a groan while sitting up to look over the couch edge, in the direction of the kitchen area.

Racqel, dressed in a white T-shirt with loose black pants and a pair of house shoes, was standing over the stove. The young girl turned around with a pan of eggs in her hand and saw Don peeking over the couch. "Good morning. I didn't know how you wanted your eggs, so I went with the universal answer of scrambled." She got a large serving plate out of the cupboard, put it on the table, and dished the eggs onto the plate so she could put the pan into the sink.

"Scrambled is fine." Donatello said as he got up. His stomach felt empty and growled for substance.

"Guess I didn't have very good manners last night." Racqel said with pinkish cheek. "Should have offered something to eat, but I just gave you tea." She set four plates and two sets of silverware out on the table. "I made a lot to make up for it though."

"Well, I've been known to eat a lot." Donatello said as he came over to the table.

Racqel dished food out onto the plates. "Not unexpected. You are a growing boy…er…turtle."

Donatello took a seat opposite the sink. Fury landed on the back of the chair to the left of him and Luna hopped up onto the seat of the chair on his right. Racqel pulled some jam and honey out of one of the cupboards to put on the table. After that, she got two glasses and two saucers out of another cupboard.

The saucers were placed by Luna and Fury's plates while the glasses were placed by Don and Racqel's. "Milk? Juice?" The girl asked the turtle.

"What kind of juice do you have?" Donatello asked after taking a deep whiff of the food in front of him.

"Apple, pineapple, and orange." Racqel poured some pineapple juice for herself. Then she poured milk for Fury and Luna; the two animals start eating right away. After that she took her seat.

"Orange juice, please." Donatello answered and the girl handed him a carton. He poured himself a glass, then placed it in the center of the table where the other cartons were. Next he picked up a spoon, dove into the eggs, and put a heaping amount into his mouth. Slowly he took the spoon out to chew, his eyes squeeze shut, and he puts the spoon down.

"Um…not very good, huh?" Racqel asked timidly, causing both Fury and Luna look at him.

"This is great." Donatello replied as he opened his eyes to see everyone staring at him. "Oops, guess I gave a wrong impression." He gave everyone a goofy smile.

Luna spoke up after licking her mouth. "I was about to say."

"I will always prefer Racqel's cooking over anyone else." Fury said. She took another bite of bacon from her right talon. "Nobody has matched her yet."

"Don't talk with your mouthful, it's rude." Racqel scolded.

Fury swallowed hard. "Sorry."

Donatello's face showed some amusement. "Well this is a sight I thought I'd never see." He commented. "A human, a cat, a falcon, and a mutant turtle all eating at a table like it's…normal."

Racqel wiped her mouth with her napkin. "What's so abnormal about it?" She asked. "I've always enjoyed meals with my animal friends." She looked at the falcon and cat, but they are too busy eating to look back at her. It made no difference and she smiles. "So what are you going to do today?"

"I…." The Shell Cell rung. "Heh…excuse me." Racqel nodded and Donatello leaves the table to answer it. "What?" He asked in annoyance.

"Well good morning to you too." Leonardo answered. "I thought you were going to try to make your way back home when the rain stopped."

"What?" Donatello looked out the window to see a bright new day. There was hardly a cloud in the sky; a real change from yesterday.

"The rain stop about one o'clock last night. I figured that you'd want to sleep in your own bed rather than where you were stuck at." There was concern in Leonardo's voice. "Are you lost or something?"

"I…uh…fell asleep and just woke up not to long ago." Donatello told him. He remembered talking last night and not noticing if the rain had stopped. But as he thought about it, he really didn't care. The young turtle figured that he would have spent the night either way. "I told you that I found a nice place to stay at until the rain stopped."

"So when do you think you will be home today? We have ninja practice you know." Leonardo told him sternly.

"I'll be home when I get there. Chill out." Donatello answered angrily. He looked over at the kitchen area in time to see Racqel quickly look back at her plate. It would seem that she was watching him.

"Ok, ok. No need to get testy." Leonardo replied in a calm voice.

"Sorry, it was a rough night. I see you all later." Donatello hung up the cell and comes back to the table. "I guess I'll be going back home." He told Racqel.

"Seems I've kept you here too long." Racqel rubbed the back of her head. "Sorry."

Donatello waved a hand. "It's ok."

Silence engulfed the table as everyone went back to eating. Racqel looked at her plate while she eats, but she couldn't help having the feeling that she is being watched. She looked up to see that Don was looking at her. It caught them by surprise that they were looking at each other and they quickly look elsewhere. Racqel looked at the stove and Don looked towards the front door.

To break the silence, Donatello asks, "Think…think we could hang out some time?" But now it would seem that things have turned awkward.

"Would…would that be wise?" Racqel chanced looking at him again and he chanced looking at her. "I mean…there are people out there who want us."

"Well, we _were_ able to take out a couple of Purple Dragons and out smart the Foot together yesterday. Should we run into trouble, I'm pretty sure we could do it again." Donatello answered. "Not that I'm suggesting that we shouldn't be careful when we're out." He added quickly.

"Hmmm." Racqel thought for a moment. "If we stay in public places, we would have some safety there. Those two groups aren't stupid enough try and do anything in a crowd full of people." The young girl put an elbow on the table and her head in its hand. "And of course we would have to stay in the light, Foot soldiers could hide very well in the shadows." She scraped her fork on her empty plate with her free hand.

Donatello put his fork down and folded his hand in front of him. "So is that a yes?"

"I can't see why not." Racqel replied. "It would be nice to get out of the house once and awhile for something fun."

"What do you do during the day anyway?" Donatello asked.

"School." Racqel answered.

"You go to school?" Donatello exclaimed. "Is that wise?"

"I use the Gloo powder to get me there safely and to get me home again. Last night I was caught off guard by the rain." Racqel explained. "Besides, I think the Purple Dragons and the Foot would know better than to try to invade a school, especially the one I'm going to right now."

Donatello raised an eyebrow. "How safe is it?"

"Safe? Depends on your definition of safe." Racqel laughed, until she saw that was Don waiting for a proper answer. "Let's put it to you this way. They require you to go through metal detectors, your bag and shoes have to go through x-ray machines, and a wand passed over the body."

Donatello rolled his eyes. "Oh, that sounds really safe." He said sarcastically.

"Like I said, I don't think they would want to invade a school like that." Racqel replied confidently. "There are more weapons there than every army in the world. _And_, the students there know how to make a weapon out of anything."

"So you think it would be safe for you to go there?" Donatello asked skeptically.

"Yeah." Racqel had the look like it was there was nothing to worry about. "I go there for the same reason I live here. Besides, I can take on anyone who wants to dish out."

"I see." Donatello's was confused and still unsure.

"Speaking of school…" Luna pointed a paw at the clock on the stove, "…look at the time."

"What?" Racqel looked at the clock. "Oh no. I'm going to be late. I have to go." The young girl jumped from the table to rush to her 'room' so she could grab her book bag and a red pouch. "The dishes will have to wait until later." She muttered as she ran to the canvass closet to grab a clean black jacket.

The young girl's sudden antics startled Donatello, causing him to jump up from his seat. He rushed over to the belly stove and grabs his stuff from the rack. They were dry, so he throws them on right away.

"I'm sorry to have to hurry you off like this." Racqel said while rushing for the front door. "Do you think you can find you way back home? I could give you some Gloo powder to get you there if you want."

Donatello met the girl at the door. "How does that stuff work…um…exactly?" He asked.

"It sends a person to the destination they called out." Racqel explained as she wrestled with the door and gets it open. "But they have to have visited place first for it to work." She threw on her jacket while waiting for the mutant turtle to go out.

Donatello remembered his last trip. "No…that's ok." It wasn't too inviting at the moment, especially since he had eaten. "I'll just find the nearest…well, I'll find my way home."

"I can't send you home alone, I'd be worried about your safety." Racqel told him. "Take Fury with you." She beckoned the falcon and cat over.

Donatello tried to refuse. "Oh, that's ok. I don't need…."

"If you're worried about keeping secrets, Fury is great at it. She won't tell me where you live, honest." Racqel picked up Luna, closed the door behind her, and locked it.

Donatello finally agreed. "Well…um…I guess it would be ok." The falcon perched herself on the back of his shell. "Welcome a board, I think."

"Pleasure to be aboard." Fury replied. "Say, does this ride come with a movie?"

"Amusing." Donatello said to the bird he couldn't see.

"Well I though so." Fury laughed.

Racqel held a hand out. "Well, I have to go."

Donatello took her hand and they shook. "See ya later?" He asked.

"Sure." Racqel said with a nodded. "It would be best if you didn't tell anyone about us. The less people know about me, safer they will be." She added.

Donatello shrugged. "If you say so."

Racqel opened her little red pouch that held the Gloo powder. "Sure you don't want any?" She offered once more.

Donatello held up a hand and shook his head. "I'm sure." The mutant turtle put his hands in his pant pockets and found his Shell Cell that he absentmindedly put inside one of. He took it out just as the young girl was about to take a pinch of Gloo powder. "Wait!"

"What?" Racqel asked, startled.

Donatello pressed a few buttons on the cell and it makes some beeping sounds. "Here, in case you get into trouble." He said as he handed her the Shell Cell. "You just call me up and I can come to help. Or…" The young turtle's cheeks turned a slight pink, "if you want to...you know…talk."

Racqel smiled as she took the cell and placed it in her jacket pocket. She then takes some red powder from the pouch and throws it down at her feet. "School." In a cloud of red smoke, the girl disappears.

"Time for me to go to...I guess." Donatello sighed as he went down the stairs.

"Careful of the third steps." Fury warned and it startled Don. He whipped around, trying to see who was talking to him. "It's the bird sitting on your shell turtle boy."

"Oh yeah…I forgot." Donatello went to rub back of his head and ended up touching feathers instead. "Um…they feel nice."

"I try." Fury went to preen her feathers with her beak, but hits Don's fingers instead. The young turtle pulled his hand way quickly. "Oops, sorry."

"It's ok." Donatello looked at his fingers to make sure they were ok. "Couldn't you, I don't know, sit on my shoulder or something?"

"Not unless you like sharp things digging into your skin." Fury replied. "Don't you know anything about falcons? We have very sharp talons that can cut into anything. Without the proper protection, we can do a lot of damage."

"Oh." Donatello climbed down the stairs carefully and goes out outside.

When he first glimpsed the neighborhood, he thought it a bad one. But now that he was walking down its sidewalks, he could see that this place was just depressing. There were people either in boxes, under newspapers, or scrounging in trash for cans and bottles to recycle into cash for what little food they could get.

Fury interrupted the silence. "Kind of gets to you, huh?"

"Yeah…kind of." It all reminded Donatello of his homeless friends he and his brothers had met at the dumps a time back. Through he lived in the sewers, and that place was the lowest one could get, it looked a shell of a lot better than here. As he walked on, some of the homeless people reached out to ask for change. All Don could do was pull out the pockets of his pants to show they were empty. "There is an island out near the bridge." He told a couple of them. "I hear that it has food and shelter, you could try there."

"Another homeless shelter?" One of the homeless men said in disgust. "Those places do no good for us. They are lowly funded and there's little room to take in the many of homeless in this city alone."

"Whoa wait a minute…" Donatello waved his hands in defense. "I guess you could call it a shelter, but it's not like the ones around here. This place is a bit better. I have a couple of friends living there and they like just fine."

The people that surrounded the turtle talked among each other for a couple of minutes. "Guess it wouldn't hurt to check the place out." One of them finally said and they leave to make their way over to the riverside.

"Well that was nice of you." Fury said, once Don started to walk on again. "Maybe with a few less homeless people on the street, the better for us."

The falcon's attitude set Donatello off a little bit. "That's kind of mean. These people can't help being where they are."

"I didn't mean it that way." Fury said tensely. "It's just that they are always asking for money and Racqel is a softy for that kind of thing." There was a tone of irritation in the falcon's voice. "It's hard to keep her hidden when she wants help out everyone that asks." The bird let a sigh of frustration.

Finding an abandon subway entrance, Donatello went down into its tunnels to the sewers below the street surface. "Sometimes kindness can't be helped." He replied.

"And sometimes kindness can get you in trouble." Fury snorted. "Take you for instance."

"What about me?" Donatello asked while he figured out which tunnel would take him home.

"It was a big risk taking you in, as far as I'm concerned." Fury said coldly. "For all she knew, you could have been working for the Shredder undercover. Do you know how hard it is to find a place where he can't find you?"

Donatello mused over the point the bird was making. "It's been a while." He remembered losing the first home to Baxter's mousers, leading Master Splinter to introduce them to their new place. Course they weren't trying to hide from the Shedder at the time. In fact, they never knew the man existed then. "But I could imagine how hard the task might be."

"It was a rhetorical question." Fury snapped. "My point is that Racqel was too quick to invite you to our home and let you stay."

Now Donatello was really starting to dislike the falcon that was sitting on his shell. "I have a feeling you don't like me very much."

"Racqel was fine just going to school and home. Why did you have to ask her if she would want to go out?" Fury demanded.

"Why not?" Donatello questioned.

"The Shedder practically owns this city for Elements sake." Fury squawked as she flapped her wings in anger. "Where could you guys possible go that would have enough people to hide in?"

"She can't stay coped up in that neighborhood forever." Donatello protested. "It would do her some good to have more friends, be with people who could help her when she's in a tight situation."

"Were you even listening to Racqel last night? Did you pay attention to anything she was saying?" Fury shouted, her voice echoed throughout the empty tunnel Don was walking. "The girl doesn't want to involve other people, cause when she does they get killed. Her psyche can't take much more guilt and pain before suffering from a mental break down."

"Racqel seemed fine to me." Donatello answered back angrily. "Besides, her psyche couldn't do any better without anyone to socialize with."

"She's got Luna and me." Fury grumbled.

"You're jealous." Donatello concluded with amusement in his voice.

"I am not." Fury replied in an insulted tone.

"You are too." Donatello laughed. "You don't want her to make new friends, because she might ignore you and the cat."

"I am not jealous of you." Fury said snidely. "You are a giant walking reptile. Racqel hardly knows you, yet she's willing to go out with you and the only question going through my mind is…why?

"Because I have a nice personality?" Donatello asked rhetorically. "But seriously, you have nothing to worry about. I'm one of the good turtles, honest."

"Hmmm…perhaps." Fury said reluctantly. "But I'm keeping an eye on you."

"Only one?" Donatello taunted.

"Sarcasm isn't winning you any brownie points here." Fury snorted.

"O-kay." Donatello gave a bit of a dry laugh.

The two become silent and stay that way for the rest of the trip back to Don's home. During the time it took to get back to the lair, Fury had fallen asleep. Don knew this, because he could hear the falcon softly snoring behind him. When they get to the lair, Don nudged Fury to wake her up.

"(Snerk) Huh?" Fury let out a yawn. "What is it?"

"We're at my place." Donatello told her.

"Looks like a giant wall." Fury commented.

"There's more to it, but I don't think I have to show you how to get into my place…do I?" Donatello asked.

"No, but you don't expect me to just take off from down here. I mean, how will I get out for one thing?" Fury asked back. "If you haven't notice, I don't have arms. I can't lift a manhole cover."

Donatello heaved a deep sigh. "Ri-ight." The young turtle went back the way he came, at least till he got to a manhole. "This is where you get off, unless you want to hit your head."

With a 'humph' and the flap of her wings, Fury got off Don's shell. She flew up to the manhole cover as Don climbed the ladder. He lifted the cover high enough for the falcon to fly out of the sewers.

Fury landed by the hole and glares down at him. "Remember that I'll be watching you when you're around Racqel." She warned before taking off for the sky.

"Yeah, yeah." Donatello muttered.

"Who are you talking to up there, egg-head?" Michelangelo's voice yelled up at him.

"What?" Donatello was so startled, he accidentally dropped the lid on his head. "Ow! Geez Mikey, don't sneak up on a turtle like that." He climbed down the ladder and rubs the slight bump he's got.

"Sorry." Michelangelo laughed. "But I was just wondering what you were doing up there and who you were talking to."

"Uh…" Donatello looked at his younger brother and noticed that he was carrying a pizza. "How much of that did you eat from the parlor to here?"

"Just what are you trying to say?" Michelangelo pretended to look hurt. "For your information, I haven't even touched this pizza."

"Oh?" Donatello had the look of admiration on his face. "Glad you could show such restraint Mikey." He put a hand on his brother's shoulder. "So how many pizzas did you originally have when you left the parlor?"

"Um…(ahem)…two." Michelangelo replied sheepishly. "Heh."

Donatello withdrew his hand. "Ye-ah. Let go home." He turned around and walked briskly back to the lair.

"Hey!" Michelangelo said as he trotted after Don. "You never answered my questions."


	5. It Really Was A Date

**It Really was a Date**

Two days had gone by since Donatello had met that strange girl in Central Park. And during those two days, our purple clad turtle had spent most of his time either in his room trying to study something new or work on some half finished project he had sitting around in his subway car lab area.

Now why was the wizard of technology trying so hard to keep busy? It was so he could keep from having to think about Racqel and the strange affect she seemed to have on him.

Today was the third day and the young turtle was up in his room, pacing in front of his desk. His focus was on the new Shell Cell sitting on it. "Come on. It's not that hard." Donatello scolded. "All you have to do is walk over to the desk and pick up the cell." He stopped pacing and moved towards the desk. "That's it." The techno-turtle egged on with ever step that brought him closer. "Just go over and pick up that cell."

Once at the desk, Donatello reached a trembling hand out for the Shell Cell. In the hopes of making his quivering arm stop, he grabbed it with his other hand. Course now both arms shook as the hand hovered over the cell. But the hand was there only for a moment before it was jerked away from the cell, like it was going to jump up and bite him.

Donatello took a deep breath, "Ok…" and let it out slowly to calm himself. "…I just need to take it one step at a time. No sense in rushing things." He told himself reassuringly. "After all, you've only met the girl a few days ago and you barely know her. Besides, she's got two animal friends who don't really trust you."

The purple clad turtle went to walk away from the desk, but found that once he turned his back to it, he could not seem take a single step. It was like his feet were glued _and_ nailed to the floor. "But…calling her up to talk couldn't hurt, could it?" He mused on that thought while also trying to figure out why he could move away from the desk.

Eventually Donatello found the strength to move his feet again and turn back around to face the desk. "You don't have to ask her out, you know. So…so there shouldn't be any pressure." He nodded in agreement to what was just said.

Once again, the young turtle reached for the cell with a trembling hand. This time he managed to pick it up and push the button what would call Racqel.

The young girl's voice chimed happily out of the earpiece. "Hello?" But the purple clad turtle couldn't get himself to bring the phone up to his ear. "Donatello? Is this thing on?" Beeping sounds could be heard as it would seem that Racqel had started pushing buttons on her Shell Cell. "Donatello? You never told me how to work this thing. Can you hear me? Hello?" Frustration could be heard in her voice.

Panicking, Donatello closed his cell quickly and throws it on the desk like it was too hot to hold. "What the shell am I doing?" The purple clad turtle asked himself in distress.

The cell goes off and the techno-wizard absentmindedly takes it up again and brings it up to his right ear to answer it. "Yello?"

"Donatello? Is everything ok?" Racqel asked anxiously.

"I'm fine." Donatello answered in a high-pitched voice. '_Oh shell. I should have known she'd call back._'

"Thank goodness." Racqel sighed with relief. "I thought something bad happened to you."

"Y…you were worried about me?" Donatello asked, his voice going an octave higher and he realized his hands have started to feel sweaty.

"Of course I was worried." Racqel replied sternly. "You're the only one who would be calling me on this thing, right?" A stammered 'uh-huh' answered her question. "So when you hung up suddenly, I figured something must have happened to you."

"No, nothing happened to me." With work, Donatello managed to get his voice back to normal. "I'm just fine. Everything is just fine. Not a thing to worry about."

"Well that's good to he…."

"And if there was anything to worry about, I'd tell you. I mean, why wouldn't I tell you nothing is wrong when something is wrong. I mean you deserve to know if something was wrong, right?"

"I guess s…."

"Where would the trust be if I hid anything from you? I mean, I would want you to tell me if anything was wrong when something is wrong. Right? Of course. Friendship is built on trust and if friends can't trust each other, then what?"

"Don.…"

"By the way, I see you've figured out how to use the cell. I could hear you pressing buttons and stuff, trying to answer. I guess I should have told you how to use it. I mean, if you were in trouble and you didn't know how to…"

"DONATELLO!" Racqel's voice boomed out of the cell, making the tech-savvy turtle yank it way.

Donatello brought the cell up to his left ear while he wrung out his right ear with his little finger. "You didn't need to yell, I can hear you just fine."

"Well I couldn't get you attention any other way." Racqel sighed. "You were just jabbering away."

"I…I was?" Donatello asked nervously.

"Yes." Racqel laughed.

Donatello could feel his cheek become warm while they turned red with embarrassment. "Oh…"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to laugh." Racqel apologized. "Anyway, I was wondering why you called in the first place."

"Why?" Donatello swallowed hard. He took a deep breath in to collect himself. "(High-pitched) Would…. (He clears his throat to make it normal again) Would…you like to g…g…go ou…out with…um…me?"

"You called to ask me out?" Racqel asked with surprise.

"No!" Donatello shouted into the cell when he realized what he had just done.

"Oh…I see." Racqel answered sadly.

Feeling stupid for both actions, Donatello shoved his fist into his mouth and bites down on it. '_Idiot._'

"I think I should go now," Racqel says quietly, "before this gets any more awkward." She gave a nervous laugh.

Donatello yanked his fist out his mouth. "Don't hang up." He ordered and got a surprised 'oh?' in return. "You don't mind hanging out with me?"

"You asked me before if I wanted to hang out with you and I said yes." Racqel reminded him.

Donatello remembered. '_I did, didn't I?_' But at that time, he didn't find it so hard to do. So why was it so hard to ask her now?

"Donatello?" Racqel interrupted his thoughts. "When do you want to hang out?"

"Um…how about tomorrow?" Donatello asked.

"Sure." Racqel replied happily. "Tomorrow works for me. I get out of school around three, where should I meet you?"

"How about I pick you up from school?" Donatello suggested.

"I dunno." Racqel replied skeptically.

"Relax, I'll be fine." Donatello assured her. "It shouldn't be hard to find. I'll just do an internet search for schools with high security measures."

"Kewl." Racqel said happily. "See you after three tomorrow Donatello."

"You can call me Donnie or something else if you like." Donatello told her. "I know my name can be a mouth full to say."

"Ok…Donnie." Racqel laughed. "Bye."

"Bye." Donatello waited for Racqel to hang up before he closed the Shell Cell. "What in the shell did I just do?" He groaned rhetorically as he flopped in the chair that was by the desk.

There was a loud rapping on Don's door. "Is there something wrong in there Donnie?" Leonardo asked with concerned.

"Everything is fine Leo." Donatello answered. "I'm just having an argument with myself."

"Are you winning?" Michelangelo snickered.

"Very funny Mikey." Donatello retorted before jumping straight up from his seat. He ran to the door and threw it open in time to see his brothers leaving in two directions. "Wait a minute!" The purple clad turtle shouted at them anxiously. Both brothers turned to give him puzzled looks. "How…how long were the two of you standing outside my room?"

"Well I was just walking by when I heard you groan. I was concerned, so I thought I'd ask. " Leonardo explained. "Mikey just happen to be passing by when you answered."

Donatello's face showed relief. "Oh…"

"Is something wrong?" Leonardo asked as he studied his brother.

"N…no." Donatello stammered. "I…well I was..."

"Geez, you act like you were talking to a girl or something." Michelangelo teased. Don's face flushed a deep red, deeper than when Racqel laughed at him. "Wait, you were?" The orange bandanna-wearing turtle asked in shock. He was surprised that his guess seemed to be right, especially when he spied the Shell Cell still in Don's hand "You…you were." Mike stuttered as he pointed to the cell.

"Huh?" Donatello looked down at his hand to realize he was still holding his cell. In a panic, he fumbled trying to put it back into his belt.

It was failed attempted. The cell fell from tech-loving turtle's belt, out of his hands, and lands on the floor. He quickly kicked it behind him, back into his room, while trying to look like he meant to do all that he did.

Leonardo looked at his brother suspiciously. "Don…is there something you're not telling us?" He asked sternly.

"Uh…" Donatello began to sweat. '_I just called up a girl and asked her out and she said yes._' He never told Splinter or his brothers about Racqel and that he spent the night at her place. What would they say? Heck, what would the do to him if they found out?

"Oh relax Leo." Raphael's voice called up from the first level. "Donnie was probably tryin' ta ask April out again." He added a mean laugh to show how ridiculous he thought the idea was. "The uber-geek can't seem ta understand dat she ain't interested in datin' mutant turtles."

Donatello's red cheeks of embarrassment turned to red cheeks of anger. Course it would have been hard to tell the difference if it wasn't for the fact that he stormed over to the edge of the second level and glared down at his tormentor. "Who I call and why is none of your business." The purple clad turtle informed red clad one rudely. "So why don't you kindly keep your ignorant comments to yourself before you show how really stupid you are."

"Exsqueeze me?" Raphael asked furiously. "Ya didn't just insult me just now, did ya?"

"Do you want me to speak slowly and use smaller words so you can understand?" Donatello barked back.

"Dem fightin' words now." Raphael bellowed as he raced up the stairs to the second level.

"Words don't fight, only hotheads do." Donatello mocked.

"Get ready fer a good ol'poundin'." Raphael snarled. He cracked his neck once he got to the second level and then he cracked his knuckles as he advanced towards Don.

Leonardo stepped between Raph and Don. "That'll be enough." He ordered while putting his hands out to keep the two apart. "Raph, just…just chill out." The hotheaded turtle let out a snarl, but when Leo furrowed his brow he backed off. With Raph somewhat calm, the elder brother turned his attention to Don. "Since when do you start picking fights with Raph?"

"I dunno." Donatello replied coldly. "Excuse me." After pushing Leo's hand off him, he went back into his room and slammed his door closed. His brothers were left staring at his door, wondering what was up with him.

Evidently, that was the exact same question Donatello was asking himself. After seating himself at his desk with a pad of paper and a pen in hand, he started to list the different things he felt that day. The feeling of nervousness, the embarrassment, and being suddenly short tempered. Having the warm cheeks, the sweaty forehead and hands. The absentminded jabbering he did before Racqel could get his full attention and the stuttering.

When he was done listing the things, Donatello looked at what he wrote. It all looked like the stereotypical 'fall in love' symptoms as seen on TV sitcoms and soap operas. But there was no way people acted like that way in real life…right? Perhaps he'll ask April tomorrow after his…his….

What should he call what he's doing tomorrow? Was it a date or was it just hanging out? Yet another question he'll have to ask.

**Next Day**

Wearing the same clothes he wore three days before and a purple helmet tuck under his arm with black one on the seat of the Shell Cycle, Donatello waited outside Racqel's school five minutes to three.

As the minutes counted down, a weird feeling grew in the pit of the young turtle's stomach. His abdomen felt like it was churning what little lunch he forced himself to eat before leaving the lair. The feeling stayed with him until the bell rings, then it turned into a nervous ache. At the first two rings Donatello feared that if he opened his mouth, either butterflies would come out of it…or something very unpleasant.

With eyes peeled for Racqel and fighting the ache in his belly, the young turtle looked toward the school. Highschool students (at least one would think they were students) poured out the graffiti ridden, multiple shattered windows, and looked like a sneeze could knock the walls down building. Every last one of them were grateful to finally be out and free to do as they pleased.

Suddenly Donatello realized that he never asked the young girl he was picking up, what she was going to wear. His stomach settled as he wondered how he would be able to pick her out?

Course the answer was easy, Racqel was the only person with a black cat laying on her shoulders. But that wasn't the only thing that made her stick out like a sore thumb. Most of the kids that went to this particular school were dressed like Goths, Punks, or poster candidates for Juvenile hall and Boot camp. Racqel (on the other hand) was dressed in a white t-shirt with two gray kittens playing with a pink yarn ball, a red jacket with Hello Kitty on the right side and Batsamaru on the left, blue bell-bottom jeans with flowers embroidered on the cuffs, and red sneakers. Her brown hair was in two braided pigtails.

Forgetting all feeling of fear and nervousness, Donatello couldn't help but tease. "Nice job of blending in with the crowd." He said as Racqel trotted over to where he was. "I bet no Foot solider would _ever_ be able to pick you out of this crowd."

"Don't get me started on wardrobe." Racqel joshed as she pointed an index finger at Don.

"Like I could really go out clothes shopping." Donatello replied sarcastically.

"A motorcycle…" Luna let out a little whimper before she stood up on young girl's shoulder and glared at the mutant turtle. "You had to come and get her on a motorcycle?"

"What's wrong with that?" Donatello asked.

"Nothing." Luna muttered. "I'm going to enjoy being squished between Racqel's chest and your shell." She crawled off the young girl's shoulder and into the right side of the jacket as it was being zipped up. "Oh boy, oh joy."

Racqel gave the black cat a friendly pat on the back. "So where shall we go?" She asked.

"Where do you want to go?" Donatello asked back as he handed her the black helmet. Racqel shrugged in reply. "Is there a place you like to go to besides the park?" The young girl shook her head. "The Statue of Liberty?"

"Never been there." Racqel replied.

"Uh…the Rockefeller?"

"Nope."

"Empire State Building."

"Why?"

"I dunno on that one really." Donatello shrugged. "I guess it's like going into the torch of the Statue."

Luna popped her head out of the jacket. "Could I be so bold as to suggest a movie?"

"That sounds like a nice idea." Racqel agreed. "Any objections?"

"I guess not." Donatello answered. "There is a really nice one that had just come out."

"Not too gory or scary I hope." Racqel gave a nervous laugh. Don looked disappointed for a moment before looking worried. "And not a chick flick." The young girl added quickly when she saw his face. "Those things are too sappy." His face showed relief. "Didn't they just come out with one of those Chinese show based movies?" Don cocked his head to one side as he tried to figure out what Racqel was talking about. "You know…" She put her left hand on her hip and waved her right at him. "One of them Kung-Fu beat-em up movies with the bad dubbing, but nice action."

Donatello's head straightened up quickly when he finally realizes what the young girl was talking about. "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon has been out for a while. In fact…I think it's already out on DVD."

"No, not that one." Racqel snapped the fingers of her right hand as she tried to remember the name. "It's…um…Hero!" She shouted with glee. "That's the name."

"I saw the commercials to that one." Donatello laughed. "The graphics looked cool, let's go."

Racqel happily slipped on the helmet. "Kewl."

Donatello put his on after he climbed onto the Shell Cycle. Racqel climbed on behind him with her hands on his shoulders. She was careful not to lean on his shell, so as not to squish Luna. "So where is Fury?" Don asked as he started up the bike.

"Up in one of the trees, watching us." Racqel had to yell over the motor. "She'll follow us from the sky."

"Can she keep up?" Donatello revved the engine before hitting the gas.

"She's faster than one would think." Racqel replied. "And you know how sharp falcon's eyes are."

"Is she going to want to come into the cinema with us?"

"Nah. Fury hates confined spaces and lots of people. It's got to be either one or the other. Actually she would prefer neither if she can help it."

"Will she be mad that she can't see you while you're in the cinema?"

"No. Fury is more of the surveillance kind. It's Luna who goes everywhere with me, because she can tolerate people and small places for one thing. Though Fury is a good friend, it never felt like I was the one she was supposed to protect."

After finally finding a place that was playing the movie they want at a good time, Donatello searched for a parking spot that would hide the bike so no one would steal it. From there, the two went off to watch the movie they agreed on.

**That Night**

Donatello wandered around April's antique shop. The red haired young woman watched her turtle friend with curiosity. Every once and a while, Don would approach her with his mouth open; like he was going to say something. But every time she sat up to listen, he backed off.

Finally frustrated with the way the young turtle was acting, April confronted Don. "What is on your mind?" She asked irritably.

"Well…" Donatello said with some hesitation. He pulled the hood of his sweatshirt off so he could rub the back of his head. "I was wondering what it is like to be in love."

April looked at him with some suspiciously. "Why?"

"Just curious about whether art imitates life." Donatello answered with a shrug. "I see how people fall in love on TV and wonder if the same things apply in real life." He pulled out a folded piece of paper. "Uh…these are a few things I got." It was the list he made the day before. "Feeling nervousness, embarrassed and short tempered. Having warm cheeks, sweaty forehead, sweaty hands, stuttering, and absentminded jabbering."

"M…more or less." April answered with some surprise. She wasn't sure she liked where this conversation might be going. Don was hiding something, but she wasn't sure she wanted to know what it was.

There was a long, somewhat awkward silence before Donatello spoke up again. "How would one know if he or she went out on a date?"

This questioned caused April to straighten up suddenly so she could study Don better. "It depends on many levels." Now her interest was raised and she _did_ want to know what he was hiding. But if she pressured him for details, Don might shut her out.

"Where did the event take place?"

"Hypothetically speaking?"

"Uh…yeah. Let's go with that."

"Movies."

"What kind?"

"Action flick."

"Pay for just yourself or both?"

"Both."

"Dinner?"

"Hot dogs from a street cart and ate them in the park. She would buy the dogs."

April put a hand to her chin as she calculated the answers in her head. "Hmmmm…" Don fidgeted with the paper in his hands as he waited anxiously for what she had to say. After a while, April took a deep breath and said slowly. "I think…one would call it a date."

Donatello's jaw dropped open and he whipped around to hide his reaction from the young woman. "Oh wow." He breathed.

April looked at the back of the young turtle with wide eyes. Chancing him running out on her, she says sternly, "Don, tell me what is it your hiding."

Donatello turned around to face April again. Her eyes were fixed on him in a demanding glare. "Thanksforyourhelpgottago!" The young turtle said in one breath as he rushed out of the store, forcing April to have to come up with her own conclusions.

Donatello made his way back to the Shell Cycle that he parked by the side of the store. Once he got his helmet on and the bike started, he drove off for home. Along the way the-brains-before-brawns turtle let his thoughts roam around in his head. '_Ok…I think I'm in trouble. If I'm in love with Racqel, what will the others think? What would they do if they find out…or should I say when? But what if this is just an infatuation. I mean I had a crush on April. Course April is older than I am._'

Donatello pulled the bike into the garage that was above the lair. '_Racqel is around the same age as me, but she is human and I'm a mutant. It could never work out and, again, what would the others think?_' He dismounted the bike and removed his helmet. With it tucked under an arm, Don made his way to the alien-like elevator. '_But we just went out on a date…I think. What if I'm just setting myself up to be crushed like I did with April? It did take me a while to realize I had no chance with her._'

Just as the elevator came up and the doors open, the Shell Cell goes off in his pocket. Donatello took it out, praying that it wasn't April wanting any more answers. "Hello?"

"Donnie, can you settle an argument?" Racqel asked.

"An argument?" Donatello questioned. "About what? Between who?"

"Between me and Fury." Racqel answered. "She's insisting that we didn't go out on a date, but I say that we did."

"Then you're dreaming." Fury called out. "Or you're delusional."

"You're just being mean." Racqel complained.

"I'm telling you, he's just playing with your head." Fury replied. "Besides, I think it's too soon for you to be dating, you're not ready."

"I…I am to." Racqel told the falcon. "Why can't you be supportive?"

"I'm being realistic." Fury answered.

"Oh…why do I even bother?" Racqel huffed. "You hearing what I'm going through over here?" She asked Don. "So which is it, a date or a friendly outing?"

"Uh…" Throughout the fight the young girl was having with the bird, Donatello stood in dumbfounded silence. '_Give her an answer._' His brain told him. '_You have a fifty-fifty chance of getting this right._' Slowly, the young turtle's mouth formed a word and Don heard himself say, "…yes."

"I knew it." Racqel practically shouted. "I told you." She said excitedly to Fury.

"Hey, I was in your corner the whole time." Luna chirped in. "I never had a doubt in my mind."

"Kiss up." Fury ragged. "You're always in her box."

"I have to be. I am her guardian you know." Luna snubbed. "You should be too."

"Oh yeah?" Fury retorted. "For your information…"

"I think I better let you go." Racqel sighed. "This may get physically ugly and I should stop it before it does."

"Um…ok." Donatello seemed a little stun at the moment. "I'll…call you…later?"

"Ok." Racqel hung up her cell.

* * *

_A/N: Welp, they went out on a date. But I think you knew this was coming, right? You can tell how long ago I wrote this chapter by the movie suggested. As far as I know, 'Hero' is already out on DVD._ ;p

_Thanks for reading, until next time._


	6. Can't Tell, Can't Forget

**Can't Tell, Can't Forget**

For the next ten minutes, all Donatello could do was stare at his open Shell Cell. He didn't know what to think. Eventually his brain managed to start working again. '_Was Racqel happy about going out?_' He wondered. '_Forget that, did she just acknowledge that we went out?_' A giant grin slid onto his face. "I went out on a date!" The young turtle whispered loudly. "I went out with a girl!" Don jumped around in circles. "Oh man, this is great. This is…I don't know what to say…" He practically skipped into the elevator.

As the elevator went down, the purple clad turtle couldn't wait to strut into the lair. He wanted to pose in a way that would dare his brothers to ask him what he was so happy about. Don wanted to announce that he was in love and brag that he had just gone on his first date. This was feat that none of his brothers had done, meaning that now he was number one in the 'cool things ever done' department.

But as the elevator neared its destination, the young turtle's boastful air began to leave him and suddenly he remembered that he couldn't tell his brothers what he had just done.

"Hey Donnie." Leonardo greeted from the couch, where he was watching T.V., when the elevator doors opened. "What were you up to all day?" He asked.

"N…nothing much." Donatello answered in a nervous ho-hum tone as he entered the lair. "Just cruising around for a new junk sight to explore. You know, to get more stuff we might need around the lair."

"Work, work, work." Michelangelo ribbed as he came from the kitchen with a rather tall sandwich. "Don't you ever take time out to have a little fun? You know, stop to smell the roses and stuff like that."

"We don't have roses around here to smell." Donatello replied. "Besides, I think I might have an allergy to flowers." He went up stairs and into his room.

"If he isn't careful, Donnie-boy is going to turn into one dull turtle." Michelangelo commented while he flopped onto the couch next to his elder brother. His sandwich titled like the tower of Pisa.

"What do you have in that thing?" Leonardo asked.

"Pumpernickel, ham, cheese, ham, salami…" Michelangelo went on for the next couple of seconds. "…bologna, cheese, turkey, turkey, sourdough."

Leonardo rolled his eyes. "Sorry I asked." He crossed he arms as he cocked his head to one side. "I may regret asking this, but how are you going to fit that in your mouth?"

"I dunno yet." Michelangelo answered. "I was trying to figure that out myself." After moment of pondering, "Did Donnie ever invent that sandwich press he was raving about?"

Leonardo shrugged. "How should I know?"

**Up in Donatello's room…**

The purple clad turtle shed his human clothes and got up onto his bed. He laid down on his back with his arms folded under his head to contemplate 'why'.

Why hasn't he told them that the night he went out to get pizza for dinner, he ran into a girl running from Foot and the Purple Dragons? That not only had he rescued her from them, but had also gone to her home and spent the night there to wait out the storm. Why? Why hasn't he told his family about Racqel?

Course the answers came a few minutes after he asked the questions. Because he had a good idea of what would happen if he did.

First off his brothers would never forgive him for keeping such a secret from them _and_ they would hate Racqel, because he was keeping her a secret.

Then there was Master Splinter. The elder rat never liked Don and his brothers venturing topside. He never really wanted them to make or have human contact. Having Splinter like and accept the current human friends they have was lucky, but dating a human had to be out of the question.

But the _ultimate _reason why Donatello felt he couldn't tell his family about Racqel was the possibility that she could be the granddaughter of their dreadful enemy, the Shredder. That would definitely not settle well with his brothers or Master Splinter.

"_Are ya off yer rocker?" Raphael would ask rudely. "Datin' a human is unbelievable, but datin' someone related ta dat Shredder is unforgivable."_

"_But there isn't any proof that she is." Donatello would say defensively._

"_And der ain't no proof sayin' she ain't." Raphael would reply._

"_How do you know she's not as manipulative as he was?" Leonardo would ask._

"_The Shredder was after her." Donatello would answer. "He's killed people to get to her."_

"_So she says." Michelangelo would butt in, like always._

"_Shredder had claimed to be fighting for the greater good, but he's evil." Leonardo would state matter-of-factly._

"_Well she's not." Donatello would reply._

"_And how would ya know dis?" Raphael would ask. "Did she tell ya dat?"_

"_No. I just know." Donatello would answer._

"_Oh, like that's convincing." Michelangelo would chime in. "Have we forgotten that the Shredder was the one who kill Sensei's master?"_

"_But she can't be blamed for that." Donatello would say. "Just cause she might be related to the man we hate, doesn't mean she can be blamed for his crimes."_

"_I'm sorry my son, but I will have to forbid you from make anymore contact with her." Master Splinter would order._

No, Donatello could not let that happen. He felt that he just could not risk a friendship like this. So he decided that he would continue to keep Racqel a secret.

**Over at Racqel's place the next day…**

Because today was a weekend, Racqel spent her day reading a book on the couch. Luna was in her lap, while Fury glared at the young girl from one of the armchairs. The falcon hadn't spoken a word to her since the phone call to Don to settle their little argument.

Up until now, Racqel had been able to ignore Fury's glare and heaving sighs. "Speak what's on your mind already." She said irritably as she set down her book.

Instead of answering right away, Fury flew over to the shelf to pick up a picture frame in her talons. Then she flew back over to Racqel and dropped it towards the girl's lap.

Racqel caught it before it could hit Luna and looked at it. "…."

It was a picture of her with Jason in Hawaii, a year before the young boy died. Jason was in a squatting position; his right leg was pointed downward as his left stayed horizontal. His left elbow rested on his left knee while his right arm was wrapped around the legs of Racqel, who was standing next to him. She had her left hand on the top of the young boy's head while she made a peace sign with her right hand. Both of them had huge grins on their faces, like there was nothing to fear in the world.

"Have you forgotten him?" The falcon asked sternly while landing back on the chair she was perched on.

"…no." Racqel answered quietly.

"It's been two years." Luna stated.

"Exactly, it's only been two years." Fury pointed out.

"You don't expect her to mope forever, do you?" Luna asked.

"No." Fury replied. "But I think two years is too short a time to be thinking about getting another boyfriend."

"Whoa, slow down." Racqel spoke up. "We just went out on one date. That doesn't mean we're having a relationship."

"Yet." Fury said.

"Look, I don't know how he feels about me." Racqel said.

"Then you're either blind and deaf or just stupid." Fury retorted. "It's written all over his face. Do you think it's fair to string him along like this?"

"I'm not stringing him along." Racqel stated firmly.

Fury was shocked. "Then you're saying that you're in love with him?"

"You're saying it like it was a bad thing." Luna said.

Fury pointed a wing at the picture in the girl's hand. "Again I ask, what about him?"

"Look…I know you liked Jason. So did Luna and I…loved him." Racqel told the bird. "Don't think that I don't miss him, that I don't wish he was here rather than being dead. But he is and just because he is doesn't mean I stopped loving him." The young girl took a deep breath. "I wanted to turn my heart to stone, to not love another person for as long as I lived, but I can't…not now that I've met Donnie."

"And just what makes you think that his family is going to accept you?" Fury asked coldly. "You think things will all work out just like that?"

"Why are you being so negative?" Luna asked back.

"As I've said yesterday, I'm being realistic." Fury answered. "Look, I'm here to watch over her. I'm not here to be her best friend and pamper her. That's your job."

"We'll, you don't have to be so nasty about it." Racqel replied quietly.

"Well someone has to be the bad guy." Fury told the girl. "Without one, you wouldn't be able to see both sides of the situation and think things through. You can't afford to be careless."

"I guess you right." Racqel sighed.

"Amazingly enough, I can be once and awhile." Fury stated. "I've been around for a while, so I do know a thing or two."

"So what exactly are you suggesting?" Racqel asked.

"Well it's obvious I can't talk you out of hanging out with this turtle guy and maybe, just maybe, he isn't such a bad guy." Fury let out a sigh of her own. "I guess all I can say is to be careful."

"I always am." Racqel replied with a smile.

* * *

_A/N: A short chapter, I know. I guess it was just something that needed to be dwelled upon or clarified.  
_

_Thanks for reading, until next time._


	7. Moving On Up

**Moving On Up**

For the next couple of weeks, Racqel and Donatello went out after the young girl got out of school on weekdays and afternoons on the weekends. Don made up excuses so he could leave the lair. Most of the time he used the 'I'm going to the local dumps to find things' excuse.

On this night, the couple were hanging out at Coney Island. Racqel was wearing a black turtleneck under a red fleece pullover sweater, red sweat pants, and red tennis shoes. Thanks to her constant persistence (and help) Don sported some new threads. He wore a purple hooded sweater, black slacks, and an actual pair of shoes; white sneakers to be certain. She thought he should be wearing shoes if he was going to pull of the whole 'human look'.

"It's so cool here." Racqel squealed as she did a little pirouette, looking at all the lights and sights around her. "I've never been to any fairs or carnivals in my life."

"Hard to tell." Donatello chuckled. He was lugging a large plastic bag full of stuff animal that were used for prizes. "I think you made the target guy cry when you hit the bull's eye seven times in a row."

"You're not too bad yourself." Racqel said while cuddling a small white teddy bear holding red and white roses that she was carrying.

"I was only lucky the guy at the weight guessing booth thought I was as heavy as I looked." Donatello laughed.

"What about the basket ball game?" Racqel pointed out.

"Well that just took a few minor calculations." Donatello replied. "See, I figure that if I took the square root of pi, worked in the wind factor, and multiply…"

"Easy there Steven Hawkins." Racqel interrupted. "You're talking to a mathematically challenged person here. I'm barely passing the minor high school stuff as it is."

"Oh…" Donatello blushed. "Well…" He set the bag down on the ground and rubbed the back of his head. "I'm glad you're having a good time though."

"I'm having a _wonderful_ time." Racqel corrected. "It's…it's been a long time since I could feel so at ease."

"That's good." Donatello said while looking at the young girl, into her eyes. He blushed even deeper and suddenly looked away. "Say…you…um…wanna go on the bumper cars again?"

"No thanks." Racqel shook her head. "My stomach is still settling from the chilly dogs and that spinning ride. How about that ride?" She pointed to the Ferris Wheel. "I've never been one of those." The purple clad turtle looked at the giant wheel with worry on his face. "You're not afraid of heights are you?"

"What?" Donatello looked back at the girl. "No, of course not. It's just that…um…"

"Let's go then." Racqel grabbed Don's hand and pulled him behind her so fast, he barely had time to grab the bag of prizes.

"Are you sure about this?" Donatello asked nervously when he and Racqel neared the front of the line.

"Are _you_ sure about this?" Racqel asked back. "If you are scared of heights, I'll understand. There's nothing to be ashamed of."

"I'm telling you, I'm not afraid of heights." Donatello snapped. "What I'm really scared of, is _you_."

A shocked look onto the young girl's face. "What?" An embarrassing one took its place a second later. "I…I see. Excuse me." She pushed her way out of the line.

As quick as he could, Donatello threw the bag of prizes over a shoulder. "Racqel! Racqel wait!" The young turtle yelled while he chased after her. "Come on, that's not what I meant." The plea got her to stop and he was able to catch up.

Racqel whipped around to face the purple clad turtle "Why shouldn't you be afraid of me?" She asked rhetorically. "I mean, I could possibly be related to _the_ most dangerous man in all of New York, maybe even in the whole world." The young girl whispered harshly. "We're talking a man who kills people on a whim. Anyone who's gotten close has been killed according to my track record."

"I'm not afraid of that." Donatello said nonchalantly. "Frankly I don't care if you are or you aren't." He put the bag down and took one of the girl's hands. "I…I want to move onto the next step, but I'm afraid of what you might do or think. I don't want to scare you away and I don't want you to think of me being so forward."

"Oh Donnie…" Racqel sighed. "You have been such a gentleman. I thought that by now that you knew your looks don't bother me, they never have." She gripped the hand that held hers. "You're look unique and I have…fallen…for that and the being beyond them."

Donatello was so surprise, he accidentally gripped Racqel's hand a little to tight. "Really?" He asked as he loosed the hold a little.

Racqel smiled. "Uh-huh."

"W…wow." The young turtle let out a nervous laugh. "I…uh…" He looked at Racqel staring at him and gulped hard.

A harsh whisper entered Don's ear. "Don't just do something, stand there."

"What the shell?" The purple one practically jumped in the air, startling Racqel in the process. His sudden movement made Luna (who was perched on his shoulder) fall off and land (feet first) on the ground next to the couple. "Give a turtle a heart attack why dontchya."

"Well, you weren't doing anything." Luna huffed. "I thought I give you a hint and point you in the right direction."

Racqel picked the cat up by the scruff and looked it in the face. "More like killing the mood." She scolded.

'_And I had just built up the courage to…_' Donatello let out a small sigh of frustration. '_Oh well, there's always next time I suppose._'

To get loose from Racqel's hold on her neck, Luna swung herself so she could get onto one of the young girl's shoulder. "Well it's getting late." The black cat informed them. "The weekend will be over in about four hours and," she gave Racqel's ear a light swat, "you have school tomorrow."

"Yeah, yeah. I know." Racqel sighed.

"I'll take you home then." Donatello said. "But how will we get your prize there?" He pointed a thumb down to the plastic bag.

"We'll just leave them in front of a children's daycare." Racqel told the turtle. "I wasn't going to keep them anyway."

"So why play the games?" Luna asked.

"Cause they were fun." Racqel replied matter-of-factly.

**At Racqel's Place… **

Like he's always done, Donatello pulled the Shell Cycle up into an alley that was next to Racqel's building. The helmets were places on the seat and a tarp was thrown over it all. Just as Don was straightening up, Fury landed on the back of his shell while Luna climbed out of Racqel's sweater and onto her shoulder.

The group headed for the front of the building, but Racqel put a hand up before they entered it. Her ears and Luna's twitched as Fury's head turned cautiously in every direction.

"What is it?" Donatello asked.

"Something…something is not right." The young girl replied quietly. "I sense…danger." She put a finger to her lips, to suggest that they all be quiet, and motioned for Fury to check outside the building and for Luna to check the door. Both animals gave a nod in agreement before doing as they were told.

Donatello pulled his Bo staff out from behind him before he followed Luna up the stairs.

'_How in the world does he hide that thing under his sweatshirt?_' The young girl pondered while she followed behind him and her cat.

Luna sniffed the door when she got there and lets out a threatened hiss.

"Not a good sign?" Donatello whispered.

"Never is." Racqel whispered back. "We need to be on our toes."

"You sound like my brother Leo." Donatello commented.

Suddenly Racqel kicked her door. "H-i y-a!" She did it with such force, that it flew off its hinges and into the loft.

"Man, you announce yourself like my brother Raph." Donatello mocked.

"A good defense is a great offense." Racqel said while she jumped through the entrance and landed on the fallen door. A couple of 'oofs' followed with groans came from out from under it.

A Foot soldier jumped at the young girl with a katana above the head. "Head's up!" Donatello yelled while he threw his staff at the attacker. The wooden weapon hit the ninja in the face, blinding him for moment.

That moment was all Racqel need for an opening to counter attack. "I got him." Doing a whirling jump kick, she hit her would-be attacker in the chest (groans come from under the door when she landed on it again). The foot soldier flew to the right and breaks one of the loft's windows as he went out it.

"We need to get out of here." Donatello ordered.

"It's just a scouting group." Racqel replied. "Besides, I need to gather some important things." She pulled out a large black duffle bag and started stuffing it.

"But there's no time to get all your…" Donatello looked around loft. "You're missing your bookshelf, display case, and all the stuff that was in your bed room."

"I put those in a special place, along with most of my clothing and some important potion ingredients." Racqel answered. "Right now I need to gather what's left of my clothes, school supplies, and other potion ingredients." When she was done, the duffle bag looked like was about to burst.

"When did you do that?" Donatello asked.

"About a couple of days ago." Racqel replied. "Don't ask me to explain, but I started getting a bad feeling. Something telling me that it wasn't safe to stay here anymore. I've been looking for new hide-out, but I guess I wasn't quick enough."

"So now you need another place." Donatello said. "How do you think they found this place?"

"They probably followed us." Fury answered when she flew in through a different broken window. "With all the outings that you guys have done, I wouldn't be surprise."

Luna scolded the falcon. "It's your job to watch out for our enemies. _You_ were supposed to make sure nobody was following."

"Hey! I'm great, but the Foot is better." Fury retorted. "I can't always see them. And speaking of seeing them, a whole bunch is coming this way."

"Then let's get going while the going is good." Racqel said as she threw the duffle bag over a shoulder and onto her back.

"Don't have to tell me twice." Donatello replied while he grabbed the girl's hand and pulled her out of the building behind him.

"But where will I go now is the question." Racqel sighed as she watched Don pull the tarp off the bike. "Wherever it will be, it will have to be where the Foot won't find me so easily." She pulled on her helmet.

"I have a place." Donatello told her while he pulled on his own helmet. "First, do you have any of that Gloo powder on you?"

Racqel nodded. "Yeah."

"Good. Let's get out of here." Donatello climbed onto the Shell Cycle.

"Where are we going?" Racqel asked as she climbed on behind him. Luna dived back into her sweater.

"To somewhere where we can lose the Foot." Donatello replied. He revved the engine a couple of times before tearing out of the alley. The bike went down the street and to the entrance of the abandon subway he used to go home the first time he came to Racqel's place. After a couple turns here and there, Don stopped the bike. "Can Gloo powder take objects too?"

"Of course." Racqel replied.

"Good. Hand it over, quickly." Donatello ordered.

"Here." Racqel gave the turtle a red pouch. "All you need is a pinch."

"The Foot will be here within a couple of minutes." Fury warned when she finally caught up with them and landed on the turtle's shell. "They're fast."

"And we're out of here." Donatello grabbed a pinch of the red powder and threw it at the subway floor. "2nd Time Around." He called out.

A second later, they were out in front of April's antique store. "Is this the place?" Racqel asked.

"Yup." Donatello answered. He steered the bike into the alley next to the building. "There is a human friend here that I think will let you stay."

"I dunno…" Racqel said skeptically. "You know that I worry about putting other people in danger because they met me."

"It will be alright." Donatello assured while they both dismounted the bike and removed their helmets. "Follow me." He beckoned as he headed for the storefront. "She should just be closing."

Inside the store, April was just turning her sign from open to close when a face appeared in the window of her door. "D…Donnie?" The red head jumped.

"Can we come in?" Donatello asked.

"Of course you can." April opened the door. "Is that…a falcon on your back?" She asked when Don came into the shop.

"Yup." Donatello pointed a thumb behind him. "Belongs to her."

"Her?" April raised an eyebrow when Racqel came in. "Who is she?"

"My name is Racqel." The girl replied with a low bow. "Pleased to meet you."

"I'm…April." The red haired woman said, stun, while Racqel straightened up. She turned to Don. "A friend of yours I suppose."

"Would I bring her if she wasn't?" Donatello asked rhetorically.

"And why _did_ you bring her here?" April questioned.

"She needs a place to stay." Donatello told his red haired friend. "Her last place was discovered by the Foot. I figured that she could stay here with you. Besides, here is a way better than where she was before."

"I suppose she can." April said.

"Thank you." Racqel bowed again. "I promise you that I'll be no trouble to you." She said as she straightened up again.

"If you are going to continue bowing, could you at least let me out of here?" A voice called from Racqel's stomach area. The girl held an arm below her sweater while she lifted the bottom. A black cat came out onto that arm and climbed up it to the shoulder.

"Mind the claws." Racqel hissed.

"Sorry." Luna replied.

"That cat was talking?" April exclaimed. "Wasn't it?"

"Yes, that cat was talking." Fury answered irritably. "And so you don't have to ask, the falcon does too."

Racqel flicked Fury in the back of the head. "Stash the attitude."

"Mutant turtles and talking animals." April put a hand to her head as she shook it. "This feels more and more like Alice in Wonderland."

"You're not against having pets, are you?" Racqel asked nervously. "Neither one is high maintenance and Fury isn't always so rude. Once you get to know her, she's really quite nice."

"It's ok, it's ok. I don't mind having pets." April assured Racqel. "It's just them talking caught me off guard. That's all." The young girl gave a sigh of relief.

"It's not like she could get rid of us." Fury stated sternly. "We're here to watch over you and nobody can stop us."

Racqel gave the falcon a tap on the beak. "Will you quit it before you make me out to be a liar?" She turned back to April. "Really, Fury can be tolerable." The young girl gave a nervous laugh.

"I believe you, but I need to have a slight word with Donnie for a minute." April said as she took the young turtle's arm to pull him to the side.

"No problem." Racqel nodded.

"Um…" April looked at the falcon on the turtle's shell, "…if you don't mind, it's a word in private."

"So." Fury replied.

Racqel picked up the falcon. "In other words, stay here with me." She placed the bird on the counter.

"Fine." Fury snorted.

A distance away, April looked the turtle in the eyes. "This girl I'm taking in, who is she in relations to you and why does the Foot want her?"

"I was hoping you weren't going to ask that." Donatello sighed.

"What do you mean you by that?" April asked harshly. "You bring some strange girl here, with talking animals, and you don't expect me to ask the obvious questions?"

"Because you might take back your offer." Donatello replied.

April cocked an eyebrow. "And why would I do that?"

Donatello looked down at his fingers as he fidgets with them. "Cause…" His mouth twitched left to right for a moment. "Cause…she might be related to the Shredder." He said quietly.

"What?"

"The Foot is after Racqel cause she might be the Shredder's granddaughter, but she's not sure."

"And you're risking your neck out for her because…"

"Cause I like her, duh."

"Wait a minute…" April got closer to Don's face. "Is she the hypothetic girl you were talking about some time ago?"

A bead of sweat slid down the side of the young turtle's face as he takes a step back. "Uh…yeah."

"Do Splinter and your brothers know about her?" April saw Don gulp hard. "They don't?" The red head gasped. "How could you not tell them?"

Donatello rubbed the back of his head. "I dunno." He said. "I just don't think I can tell them…yet."

"Do you know how awkward this is for me?" April asked. "Me knowing that you have a girlfriend before your own family does."

"Girlfriend?" Donatello questioned.

"Isn't she?" April asked.

Donatello looked over at Racqel, who was scratching Luna under the chin and Fury on the back of the head. "I…guess so." He said when he turned back to the red head.

* * *

_A/N: I hope it doesn't look like I rushed Don and Racqel into a relationship, but I didn't want to drag on the obvious.  
_

_Hope you have a nice day and thanks for reading, until next time then._


	8. Roommates and Someone I Should Know

_A/N: Yeesh, it's been a while since I updated. Quick explanation, this chapter is really two sub-chapters. I did it this way, because if I did them separately it would be just a waste really._

* * *

**Sub Chapter 1: Roommates**

After his private conversation with April was over, Donatello's eyes fell onto a wall clock. "Oh shell! I'm late getting home." He gasped. "I better go before I get into deeper trouble than I'm already in." With that said, the purple wearing turtle bolted out the door for the Shell Cycle and a few seconds later there was a roar of the engine.

After watching a streak of purple zoom by the window, April locked the door to the shop and turned to the brown haired girl she has just accepted into her place. "So…I see you know Donnie." She felt a bit foolish for pointing out the obvious, but what else was there that they could talk about?

Racqel smiled with her nose scrunched up and pinkish cheeks. "Heh…yeah." She rested a hand on the back of her head.

There was a bit of an awkward silence before April says, "Ok…um…well, I'm tired." She gave a fake, yet convincing, yawn before waving a hand to beckon the young girl to come with her. "For now I will set you up on a couch in my upstairs apartment."

"Alright." Racqel said while she following the red haired woman up the stairs with Luna in her arms and Fury top of her duffle bag.

Once up in the apartment, April pulled out some blankets from the closet and set them on the couch. "This should be ok until I can fix up the apartment in the basement."

"Please take your time." Racqel gave a grateful bow. "I really don't want you to go to so much trouble." She said as she rose.

"You know…you don't have to keep bowing to me like that." April said, before giving a nervous laugh. "It's kind of…I don't know…weird."

"Oh. I'm…I'm sorry." Racqel replied embarrassingly. "Ever since I was little it was drilled into me that I bow to whom I'm introduced to, my elders, and in thanks for any assistants given."

"Whoa, easy there." April said as she waved her hands. "You didn't do anything wrong. It's just that…er…" She let out a deep sigh. "Why don't we just go to bed and start over in the morning?"

"Yes ma'am." Racqel said quietly as she gave a slight bow of her head. "Good night."

April was going to say something, but rolled her eyes instead. Perhaps it was better to just go to bed.

* * *

Now Racqel was adaptive and easy going about anything. So for her, learning to live with April would go smoothly. On the other hand, April felt like things were getting off to a rocky start. She found that in order to get along with the young girl, she must first understand her. Discovering this started in the early morning of the first day.

That morning, April was awakened by a loud crashing noise in her living room and a whispered whimper that followed after it. "Oh no."

This caused April to bolt from her bed to the door and yank it open. "Racqel?" Red smoke, ankle high, seeped into her room. "What's happening out there? Is there a fire? Are you alright?" She asked while making her way out into the living room.

Racqel was on hand and knee. "N…no." She answered anxiously. "I mean…I'm fine, but there is no fire."

"Then what is all this smoke?" April asked.

"That's from my Gloo powder." Racqel replied. "It's how I get about so that nobody can follow me." Suddenly the young girl let out a groan of dismay. "Oh no. I got egg all over your carpet when my bag ripped open. I'm so sorry."

"When your bag ripped open?" April questioned. Once the red smoke finally finished dissipating, she saw that Racqel was trying to gather spilt groceries into a well-torn bag. "Why did you go out shopping? You were welcome to the food I have here." The young woman informed the young girl.

"I…I wasn't sure. I didn't want to wake you at such an early hour." Racqel replied timidly. "Looks like I didn't do very well."

April looked over at her VCR clock to see that it was soon to be a quarter to seven. "Oh, that's ok. I was going to get up pretty soon anyway." She let out a nervous laugh before mumbling, "An hour and half from now." After clearing her throat, the young woman asks, "Why are you up so early?"

"To get ready for school." Racqel answered proudly as she carried her newly collected objects into the kitchen.

"You go to school?" April questioned as she followed the young girl.

Racqel nodded. "So long as it's safe to."

"How are you doing?" April asked. "What grade are you in?"

"So-so." Racqel replied in a ho-hum kind of tone. "I'm managing as well as I can for a freshman in high school, but it's kind of hard when you have to do it on your own."

"If you need help, I can give you a hand if you like." April offered.

Racqel looked at the red haired woman with wide eyes. "Really?"

"Sure." April replied with a smile.

Racqel smiled at her brightly. "Oh, I appreciate it."

"Well, it's kind of refreshing to see someone stick to getting an education." April said happily. "Most people your age would use your situation as excuse to just drop out."

"Someday I will be able to act like a regular person again." Racqel sighed. "And when that happens, I'll need to have an education to back me up."

"That's sounds wise." April said with a nod of approval.

With having education added on to having more in common than just having Donatello as a friend, things started to smooth out.

* * *

In the days that pass April found that, while she was helping a friend of a friend, she was also gaining an extra pair of hands to help her around the apartment.

To explain, because April opened her antique shop up at nine in the morning and would stay open until eight at night, she never had time to make any major healthy well-balanced meals. Whatever she had to choose to eat, it had to be something that was on the go or could be thrown together within a couple minutes. For example: At breakfast April would have a muffin or a pop tart and at lunch she would have a yogurt cup or a small sandwich.

With Racqel around, April found that there would be breakfast kept warmed in the oven and a lunch in the fridge that she could either take downstairs with her or quickly run up to get.

At night, due to the late hour she closed and because she was tired from the day, April would be too tired to cook. Most of the time she would have take-out or leftovers from take-out. With Racqel, when she came up to her apartment after closing the antique store, April would be welcomed with hot home cooked meal being set out on the kitchen table.

Also, because she had to work six to seven days a week, April would rarely have time to keep up the house cleaning. Her place wasn't exactly messy, but it wasn't as cleaned as she would like it to be. Most of the time there would be dishes piled up in the sink, laundry that would need to be done, a layer of dust collecting somewhere or dust bunnies multiplying elsewhere.

Again Racqel had proven her gratitude, along with her usefulness, by doing what she could around the apartment. There was no task the young girl was afraid of doing or neglected to take on. Though there were some times April would find herself a little lost in her own place, because Racqel had a habit of organizing and reorganizing things about.

Of course April wasn't the only one to benefit from the arrangement. Racqel found that not only did she have a roof over head, but she also found a great tutor in April. Everyday after school, before starting in on the apartment chores, Racqel would do her homework down in the antique shop where she could get help from April.

But the one most delight with the situation, was Fury. She took to April like a thirsty being would to an oasis in the desert. The falcon was always more at ease with older people than she was with younger ones. Being around children and young adults felt like babysitting, because they seemed so immature. So while Racqel was off at school, Fury would stay to keep April company at 2nd Time Around.

* * *

**Sub Chapter 2: Someone I Should Know**

After three weeks of living with April, Racqel started to finally feel like she could call the apartment home. One day, when she arrived after school like always, she heard a scream come from the antique shop.

"April!" The young girl cried as she dumped her bag on the floor. On her way out, Racqel grabbed a bat that was by the door and dashed down the stairs. "Are you being attacked?" She asked once she busted through the door, holding the bat out in front of her like a sword at the ready.

"Yes, yes. I'm fine." April sighed from her spot at the counter and pointed a frustrated finger in the direction of her fine china section. "It's just that baboon over there can't seem to watch what he's doing around my wares."

Racqel looked over to where April was pointing to see a man standing up after gathering broken pieces from a china tea set in to his arms. Seeing only his back, Racqel studies him while she let go of the bat with her left hand and lowers it to her right side.

"Geez, I said I was sorry." The man said as he turned around so he could go over to the counter and put the fragments on it.

When Racqel saw his face, she looses hold of the bat. "Who…who is he?" She whispered.

"This is Casey Jones." April introduced. "Casey, this is girl that has been staying with me. Her name is Racqel."

Casey glanced over at Racqel briefly before dumping the broken china onto the counter. After a short moment, the young man does a double take and ends at just staring at her with his mouth open. "Uh…yer cute." He said after a few seconds.

Racqel's cheeks turn a slight pink and she put her hand to them while letting out a girlish giggle.

"She's too young for you." April stated sternly.

Casey snapped out of the trance he was in and turns his look from the young girl to the young woman. "I don't mean babe-licious cute." He replied nonchalantly. "I mean kid cute."

Still blushing, Racqel looked down at the ground.

"No way is that flattering for anyone, especially a young girl." April said flatly.

"Well, it's not like I'm goin' ta ask her out." Casey snapped.

"Casey!" April pointed at Racqel, who still hasn't raised her head. "For goodness sakes, she's standing right there."

"Ya told me dat she was datin' Donnie." Casey retorted. "Der's no way I'm gonna go behind my boy's back."

Racqel finally lifted her head and steps between the two arguing adults with her arms out. "I didn't mean to give the wrong impression." She said. "I'm flattered by Mr. Jones's comment, but I am loyal to Donnie."

Casey looked down at Racqel. "Mr. Jones is my father, ya can just call me Casey or Case." He rubbed the top of the girl's head.

Racqel gave another girlish giggle. "'k."

April raised her hands in the air, like she was giving up on them. "You two are strange." She left to take care of a customer that had just entered the shop.

For no reason at all, Casey grabbed the girl by the hips and picks her up. "Okay, what is it about ya dat has me actin' like dis?" He asked as he puts her on the counter next to the fragments of china.

Looking down at Casey, Racqel shrugs. "I dunno. I was wondering the same thing about you, but…" She squished the muscular man's cheeks a bit. "Hmmm…. You look like someone I know, someone I was really close to. But it seems like a life time ago since I've seen him." She let out a small laugh when she pinched the cheeks and pulls them out a little.

Casey takes her hands off his face. "I'm not silly putty." He informed, somewhat sternly. "But while ya were doin' dat, were ya able ta mold it inta someone ya recognized?"

"I wasn't trying to mold you into anything." Racqel replied innocently. "I was just playing you face, like I did when I was little…with..."

"The guy I remind you of, right?" For some reason, Casey seemed proud of this. "But who is he?"

Racqel put her right hand on her cheek and held its elbow with her left. "Well…um…you look a little like…." She lightly rapped her fingers on her cheek. "Actually…. Now that I think about it. You actually kinda remind me of two people rather than just one."

The muscular man's face has a look of surprise. "Two?"

"Yeah…" The young girl rested her hands on her knees while she leans forward to study Casey's face. "Yeah!" Her face brightened up a bit. "One has hair just like yours. Bushy, shoulder length, and black. The other guy has hair that was black also, but it was shorter and slick. I guess you can say it was kinda greasy, you know? But he was tall, like you…maybe an inch more."

"Hmmm…" As Casey went to lean on the counter, to think about what the young girl had just said, he accidentally knocks into a vase. "Uh-oh." He watched as it wobbled around violently.

Of course he wasn't the only one to see the vase bob around dangerously on the counter. "Casey Jones!" April bellowed from the door, where she had let a customer out of. "If that Ming vase breaks, so help me, you will never be allowed in this shop again!" She threatened as she came running over.

Luckily, Casey was able to catch edges of the vase with the tips of his fingers when it finally fell. "Don't worry Ape, I've got it." Unfortunately…it slipped out of them and headed for the floor. "Oh, man." With the thought of worse case scenario, the black haired man shut his eyes to wait for the loud crash. But no crash sound came and Casey opened his eyes to see why.

Racqel was flat on the floor, holding the vase an inch off the floor. "Whew." She breathed. "That was close."

"Nice dive." April commented as she took the vase. "And good catch." She went off to put the vase in a display case, where it would be safe.

"Uh…thanks." Casey said as he helped the young girl off the ground.

"You're welcome." Racqel dusted herself off. "Puts my martial art skills to the test." She chuckled.

Casey laughed. "Dat's just what we need around here, another ninja."

"I'm not a ninja." Racqel stated. "I'm a martial artist. There's a difference you know."

"Ok, ok." Casey put his hands up. "But why?"

"Cause I want you to be able to come back." Racqel told him.

"Eh?" Casey looked at her strangely.

The young girl nodded. "Yeah…"

"Why?" Casey asked.

"Cause I want to figure out who you remind me of." Racqel told him. "And…" She hesitates.

"And?"

"Um…I have a feeling like you're someone I'm supposed to know."

"Oh?"

"…yeah."


	9. Turtle Charming To The Rescue

_After 'The Unconvincing Turtle Titan'_

* * *

**Turtle Charming To The Rescue**

Donatello was buried deep inside the stove at the lair, trying to find out what repair work was needed to get it going again. Pacing back and forth, just past his stuck out feet, was Michelangelo.

"Ya done yet?" The orange clad turtle impatiently asked.

"I'll be done when I'm done." Donatello snapped. "Pacing around and bugging me every five minutes won't make things go any faster."

"But I'm hungry now." Michelangelo whined.

"Tough." Donatello retorted. "Why don't you have a snack?"

"Cause I wanna pizza."

"There's frozen pizzas in the fridge that have microwave instructions, eat one of those."

"I wanna made from scratch, oven baked pizza."

"Then you're just going to have to wait."

Michelangelo flopped into a kitchen chair with a pout on his face and his arms crossed. "Humph!" He sat there sulking until a Shell Cell echoed throughout the kitchen. This caused the young turtle to jump up excitedly and whip out his. "Mikey's Emporium."

Donatello rolled his eyes. "You really need to work on your phone etiquettes. That joke is so old."

"Well it's not mine." Michelangelo said as he hung the phone up.

"I could've deduced that by the fact that it was really mine going off in the first place." Donatello replied while he took a cell from his belt.

"Hey, it coulda been mine." Michelangelo replied nonchalantly. "Didn't wanna make anyone have to wait for me to answer."

Donatello gave another eye roll. "Whatever, ya goob." He flipped opened the cell to answer. "Hello?"

In reply was the whisper of a frantic girl's voice. "Donnie?"

"Racqel?" The purple clad turtle whispered back. "What's the matter?"

"I'm…I'm in trouble." Racqel whimpered. "I've been found out."

Donatello shot up suddenly. "What?" Sadly, he had forgotten that he was still in the oven and smacked his head on the top of it. "Ouch!"

The bang of skull to oven caused Michelangelo to jump. "Dude!"

"Are you ok?" Racqel asked.

"Forget me." Donatello snapped while pulling himself out of the oven. "What's going on with you?"

"I'm being chased by Hun and his Purple Dragon thugs." Racqel whispered harshly. "Actually I'm not being chased right now, but I was. It will only be a matter of time before they find me."

Donatello began to pace around the kitchen, rubbing the minor bump on his head. "Where are you? April's?"

"No, I couldn't go back to her place." Racqel replied.

"Alright, but where are you now?" Donatello asked anxiously.

"Donniiieeee, tell me what's going on?" Michelangelo playfully whined as he leaned on his brother's left shoulder.

Donatello shoved Mike's face away from his. "Zip it." He snapped. "I'm on the phone."

Michelangelo moved to Donatello's right side to lean on that shoulder. "With who?" He asked nosily.

"Quiet!" Donatello ordered as he shoves Mike off his other shoulder.

"Donnie…I didn't know what to do." Racqel whimpered. "You said that I should call you for help if I was in trouble."

"Right, and I want to help. But I can't if you don't tell me where you are." Donatello stated.

Michelangelo jumped in front of Don. "Is it April?" He guessed. "Is she in trouble?"

Now fed up with his little brother's constant interruptions and Donatello pinched Mike's mouth shut while baring clenched teeth and a scowl. "Not another word." He hissed.

"I'm…I'm subway hopping." Racqel answered. "I'm hoping to lose myself in the working crowd during the rush hour people traffic. But the problem is that I have this sinking feeling I'll soon run out of routes to take."

"Which train are you on now? What route are you traveling?"

"I don't know. I've never taken the subway before. There's no pattern that I'm following. I just hop onto one train, get off stops later, and get right on to the next train that comes along. The plan is working so far, but I don't know when my luck will run out."

"How long have you been on the train now?"

"I dunno…um…maybe a few minutes."

"Hmm…. Well, I think you'll be alright staying where you are for right now."

"What do you mean? What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to come and get you of course." Donatello answered matter-of-factly.

"Surly you jest." Racqel replied, shocked. "If I don't know where I am, how will you know where to find me?"

"I've got my ways, don't you worry." Donatello said reassuringly. "Just hang tight and keep a look out for me, ok?"

"Alright." Racqel said, trying to breathe a sigh of relief. "I'll be on the last car of the train I'm riding. Please hurry."

"I will." Donatello told her before closing the cell.

"Mam mi mave mi mmth mac? (Can I have my mouth back?)" Michelangelo mumbled.

Donatello removed his hand from his younger brother's mouth. "What?"

Michelangelo moved his lips a bit to bring the feeling back into them. "Nothing. So what's going on?"

"I'll tell you later." Donatello answered nervously. He quickly left the kitchen and made a dash for his lab.

"Well…could you at least tell me who you were talking to?" Michelangelo inquired. "What kind of trouble are they in?"

"I said 'later' Mikey." Donatello replied irritably. He went into the subway car lab and to his desk. Sitting on top was his hand-held radar he uses to track Shell Cell signals. "This should help me find her." The tech-wizard muttered.

"Her?" Michelangelo exclaimed. "You're looking for a girl?"

"What was that?" Leonardo asked, coming from out of practically nowhere.

"Donnie got a call from a girl." Michelangelo teased.

"Thanks a lot tattle-tail." Donatello snorted. "Anyway, she's in trouble." He picked up the radar and turned it on. "Purple Dragons are on her heels." Then jumped down from the lab and headed for the elevator door.

"And just what are ya thinkin' of doin'?" Raphael asked as he stepped in front of Don's path.

"I'm going to go get her." Donatello stated firmly.

Raphael crossed his arms and rested them on his chest. "And den what?"

"Bring her back here, what else?" The tech-savvy turtle replied nonchalantly. "Now if you'll excuse me." He stepped around his brother and continued on his way to the elevator. "I've got to hurry."

Raphael uncrossed his arms and did a back-flipped to get into Don's way again. "Are ya out of yer shellin' mind?" He exclaimed rhetorically. "Yer goin' ta go out der, ta get a girl who is bein' chased by Purple Dragons and bring her back here?"

"Yes." Again, Donatello walked around Raph.

The red bandana-wearing turtle grabbed his purple brother by the shoulder and turned him around. "Why?" He asked with a voice straining to stay calm.

"Because she's in danger." Donatello stressed. "I would think you would figure that out after you were told that she was being chased by the Shredder's minions."

"Cut the sarcasm Einstein." Raphael groused. "I wanna know why der after her."

"Can't I tell you all this after I go get her?" Donatello asked anxiously.

"I want an explanation, _now_." Raphael ordered.

"But she's…. I told her…." Now Donatello was really getting worried. "Look, you're wasting time. If the Purple Dragons haven't found her by now, the Foot will."

"The Foot?" Leonardo said with surprise. "They're after her too?"

Donatello yanked his arm free from Raph's grip so he could turn around and face Leo. "Yes. Yes, the Foot is chasing her too. Ok? Does everyone know everything they need to know for the moment? Good, cause I really must hurry and get to her."

The purple clad turtle made a run for the elevator, but a stern voice calling out 'Donatello' caused him to come to a sliding halt an inch from the door and slowly turn around. "Yes sensei?" He asked timidly.

"Just where do you think you're going?" The elder rat asked.

"Out to rescue a girl." Michelangelo teased again. "He's going to play 'Prince Charming' coming in on his white horse."

"Is this true?" Master Splinter asked.

"Yes master." Donatello replied shyly. "And I'll explain everything when I come back. I swear I will. Just please let me leave now."

Master Splinter inhaled deeply before answering. "Fine. But be sure to take one of your brothers with you."

"What?" Donatello exclaimed. "But sensei, you're not seriously…"

"You heard me Donatello." Master Splinter said sternly. "You'll need someone with you if anything should happen."

Donatello scrunched up his nose and twitched his mouth with uncertainty before reluctantly saying, "Yes master."

Michelangelo raised a hand while dancing around. "Oh, oh, oh." He moaned.

Donatello gave a humiliated eye roll. "Alright Mikey, I'll take you with me."

"Whoo-hoo!" Michelangelo cried out as he shot past Don and jumped into the elevator while the doors were still opening. "I'm driving!"

Donatello gave a deep sighed while walking into the elevator. "Just so long as you try not to kill us."

When both turtles were in the Sewer Slider, Mike started it up and Don looked to his radar to tell his young brother where to go.

**Moments Later…**

"We're not far now." Donatello said as the Slider roared down a subway tunnel. "Any minute now, we should find the train we're looking for." He glanced down to give his radar a quick check.

"Ya mean, like, now?" Michelangelo asked as two glaring lights came right at them from straight ahead.

"Veer left! Veer left!" Donatello ordered.

"I am! I am!" Michelangelo cried as he madly turned the wheel.

The vehicle went into a violent spin and banks off a wall, knocking them out of the way of the oncoming subway train. They eventually stop spinning when the last car of the train passed them by; the Slider now facing the way they came. The two turtles groaned as they hung over the side and looking a bit greener than usual.

After his vision steadied, Donatello held up the radar. "That…that was the train we're looking for."

"Then away we go." Michelangelo said as he pulled back the handle for the turbo boosters.

"Not so fast Mikey." Donatello scolded. "We just need to pull up along the side the train, not race it."

Michelangelo stuck out his lower lip. "Aw, you're not fun." He eased the boosters when they ended up along side the last car of the train.

"Ah, there she is." Donatello said as he pointed to the window beside them.

There with her face practically plastered to the window, was Racqel. Seeing them brought a bright smile onto her face.

"Try to get as close as you can." The purple clad told his orange clad brother, while signaling the young girl to move to the back of the car.

Michelangelo gave a mocking salute. "Aye, aye captain." He eased up on the gas in order to get behind the subway train.

By the time they were touching bumper-to-bumper, Racqel had just opening the door. She wore a long velvet black cape with hood. The rushing wind from the moving train caused the hood flap viciously around her head, making it hard for her to see and the rest of the cape around her body, making it hard for her to move without tripping. There was a split second when the cape flapped open for a slight moment and Luna could be seen in the crook of her left arm.

Donatello had to yell above the noise so she could hear him. "You're going to have to jump!" He told her. "But don't worry, we'll keep her steady!"

Racqel gave a nod as best she could before stumble out onto the platform. With her right arm stretched out in front, she grasped the iron gate that surround it. Once she had a good hold, the young girl slowly put a foot on top of the gate to climb it.

"We got company." Michelangelo yelled while giving a quick nod towards the top of the train.

Both Don and Racqel looked up to see the two Foot soldiers just above her, ready to pounce. Panicked, the young girl perched herself on the gate and then jumps for the front of the Slider. She fell to her knees right in front of the windshield when she landed on the hood. Don quickly grabbed the sides of her cape and yanks her into the Slider; the momentum from the move causes her to go right into the back seat. Then, before the Foot could follow, Mike threw the Slider into reverse. He flipped a U-turn when there was enough room to do so and hit the boosters so they could speed away from the subway train.

* * *

_A/N: Ah yes. Yet another chapter done. Well it was bound to happen soon or later that Don's family would meet Racqel. But you know what the next chapter will bring.  
Thanks for reading and for the reviews, until next time._


	10. Time To Meet The Family

**Time To Meet The Family**

Racqel coming back to the Lair with him and his brother made Donatello fret. Everything was going to come out into the open, _everything_. Who she was, whom she may be related to, and that he actually been dating her for the last two months. The young turtle worried about how his family would take the news. Would they accept or reject her? What kind of trouble would he be in for hiding such secrets from them? The stress made him feel like he was gulping his heart down and butterflies were clog dancing in his stomach.

But as they rode, Don realized things were awfully quiet. It was understandable that Racqel would say nothing after the scare she just had, but what about Mike? It wasn't like his youngest brother not to give him any trouble whatsoever. Why wasn't the orange clad turtle continuing the teasing he had started earlier? It was like Mike no long seemed interested in the girl. Pondering why the sudden lack of curiosity got Don to forget his anxiousness, at least for a while.

It all came rushing back, though once the Slider was parked in the upstairs garage. The feeling then stayed during the whole ride down in the elevator. While the doors opened, Don braced for whatever he was going to need to brace himself for. But nothing happened when he stepped out with Racqel by his side.

Mike shot past them, heading straight for the kitchen without so much as a backwards glance. Raph looked up from his work out for a brief moment to acknowledge that someone entered the lair and then went right back to what he was doing.

'_That's strange._' Donatello thought. '_For sure I thought he was going to continue the ragging he started earlier._' He gave his head a shake and beckoned Racqel to follow him. "Come on, I want you to meet my master."

"Alright." Racqel nodded as she followed.

Both Splinter and Leo were watching a movie over in the T.V. area. Neither rat nor turtle broke their gaze with the multiple televisions when Don and Racqel approached them. It was like they weren't even aware that anyone was there.

Donatello inhaled deeply before saying, "Sensei?"

"What is it Donatello?" Master Splinter answered.

"I want you to meet someone." Donatello pointed to Racqel, who was standing next to him. "This is my girlfriend and her name is Racqel." She bowed respectfully toward the rat ninja master.

Master Splinter gave a halfhearted wave. "That is nice my son." He said.

Donatello was taken back, because this was not the reaction he expected. Where was the surprised looks? The lengthy lectures? The anger? "Um…didn't you just hear what I said?" He asked. "I just told you that I have a girlfriend. I've been dating her for two months."

"Yeah, yeah. We heard you." Leonardo yawned. "And we would love to hear all about it after the movie is over, ok? We're in a very suspenseful part right now."

Seeing that they were taking such news lightly, Donatello felt himself become suddenly bold. "She's the granddaughter of the Shedder." The young turtle announced, hoping to get some kind of reaction out of his family. Surely there would be fireworks now and the purple bandana-wearing turtle braced himself for it. Unfortunately those fireworks came from another source, one that he did not anticipate.

"Donatello Turtle!" Racqel barked, her voice echoing throughout the lair. Don turned to look at her and found that she was barely an inch from his face. "Do you mean to tell me that you have not told your family about me?" She scolded while glaring at him.

The young girl's action took Donatello by surprise. "I…uh…that is…" He had never seen her _this_ mad before, not at him at least.

"How could you do such a thing? How could you hide something like this from them?"

"But…but you said not tell anyone and so I…"

"I meant anyone you met on the streets, not your family." Racqel threw her hands up into the air as she turned her back on him. "Now this explains why April ushered me upstairs so suddenly when you little brother Michelangelo came over for her help on dressing up like some kind of super hero." She whipped back around to face him once more, her arms crossed. "I can't believe you put April and Casey in such a position."

"Casey?" Donatello questioned. "You met him?"

"Don't you go changing the subject." Racqel snapped. "Family is sacred and yet you told your friends about me before you told them." She gave a grunt of disappointment.

Now Donatello started to get a bit angry himself. He felt a little insulted by the way Racqel was talking to him about family. "Look, it's not like I really wanted to hide such a thing from them. I didn't like lying to them like I did, but I didn't know how they would take it."

Racqel uncrossed her arms and softened her expression. "Well you're not going to make it any easier for them to accept me after pulling a stunt like this." She said calmly.

Donatello was still heated a bit. "What do you mean?" He asked, somewhat rhetorically. "Nobody seems to register that you're even here."

"It's because of what I'm wearing." Racqel told him.

"Your cloak?" Donatello questioned, forgetting his anger.

"Yes." Racqel nodded. "It's called 'The Cloak of Indifference'. It makes people around the wearer take little to no notice of them. It's close to being invisible, but with more set backs."

"I find that hard to believe." Donatello answered skeptically. "How come it doesn't seem to affect me?"

"The cloak was made to make people not bother to look twice at the person who wears it." Racqel explained. "When you saw me on the train and acknowledge me, it dispelled the enchantment. The cloak no longer works on people who take notice of the one wearing it." She set Luna down on the couch to unhook the cloak's clasp. "It's like wearing one of those concealing device or an invisible cloak. They make it where people can't see you see, but they can feel you if they bump into. And if people can feel where you are than you're no longer totally invisible, right?"

"I suppose so." Donatello replied flatly. "I still don't believe that cloak of yours can do what you're saying it could do."

"Better brace yourself then." Racqel warned while she took the cloak off and places it lovingly on the couch.

With it off, everything became clear to everyone; the young girl being there, what Don said, even the fight that just happened.

Raphael was the first to do something. He raced over to the T.V. area with his Sais out. "Where do ya get off yellin' at my brother like dat?" The red clad turtle came to a screeching halt right in front of Racqel, a Sai pointed at her throat.

Racqel backed way from the shiny point of steel aimed at her jugular, only to feel the sharp tip of steel in her back. She whipped around to see Don's other brother up out of his seat and threateningly holding one of his Katanas at her.

"What this I hear about you being the Shredder's granddaughter?" Leonardo growled.

Michelangelo, with chipmunk cheeks full of snack food, came running out of the kitchen. By the time the young turtle reached where everyone was at, he had swallowed what was in his mouth. "I heard Donnie say he had a girlfriend." He began dancing round, singing, "Donnie has a girlfriend. Donnie has a girlfriend."

"Shuddup and focus Mikey!" Raphael snapped. "This isn't da time for teasin'!" The outstretched arm that held the Sai, aimed for the young girl's throat, shook with anticipation of wanting to do something.

"Right." Agreed Leonardo. "It's time for explaining things." He shot a hateful glare towards Racqel, while his own arm shook with the same anticipation. "What I wanna know is why the granddaughter of Shredder's is here in our home."

"Shredder's granddaughter?" Michelangelo exclaimed. "No way! Who would wanna…ya know…with him?"

"I am not his granddaughter!" Racqel screamed and it startled everyone so much that they jumped. "I refuse to believe it. I won't believe it." Suddenly the young girl just sunk to her knees, the weapons pointed at her followed. "I mean…I…I don't know." She sadly sighed while staring down at the twitching fists she had resting on her knees.

"What do ya mean ya don't know if ya da Shredder's granddaughter or not?" Raphael asked angrily.

"Just what I mean." Racqel replied quietly. "I don't know." She didn't look up to meet anyone's eyes.

"Aw, come on. Ya got ta know where ya came from." Raphael snapped.

"Come off it Raphie. Leave her alone." Donatello ordered.

"Don't call me dat in front of strangers." Raphael growled.

Throughout all of this, Splinter had remained quietly observing from his seat. Seeing this girl and catching a whiff of her smell brought back something to him, made him remember something from his past. His musing gets interrupted by Luna crawling all around his chair, sniffing him.

"You smell…(sniff sniff)…familiar." The black cat muttered. "I never forget a smell. But it's been so long since I smelt this smell that I…(sniff)…can't quite place who and where." She hopped down into the elder rat's lap and stared up at him.

A small smile appeared on Master Splinter lips. "It would seem to me, my feline friend, that we seem to share the same wonderment. For you see, your young human friend's scent reminds me of someone I met in my past." The elder rat picked Luna up and gave her head a quick whiff. "And so do you." He slowly got out of his chair, made his way over to where the turtles surround the young girl and kneeled down in front of her.

Racqel slowly, sadly, raised her head to look at the elder rat. "Sir?" She asked quietly.

"Such a face does not deserve to have such sadness." Master Splinter said as he gently set Luna down. He reached into the pocket of his kimono and pulled out a small square piece of paper. With care, the elder rat folded the paper into an origami butterfly and held it out to the young girl in the palm of his left hand.

Racqel look at the butterfly. "Oh…" She reached out to touch it, but Splinter held up his right hand to stop her. He waved that hand over the butterfly and its wings started to flap. "Ah…" Racqel's eyes grew wide with awe as she watched. When the elder rat raised his hand up, the origami butterfly flew off his left palm and fluttered right in front of the young girl's face. A wide smile that seemed to go from ear to ear appeared where the frowned once was. "Wow…" She giggled as she held out her palm for the butterfly to land on.

"Now that's the face I remember from so long ago." Master Splinter said with a satisfying tone.

"Sensei?" Leonardo asked.

"Put away your weapons." Master Splinter told Leo and Raph.

"Ya sure Sensei?" Raphael questioned.

"It's alright my sons." Master Splinter assured. "I know who she is now."

Racqel still cooed over the origami butterfly that rested on her hand. "I haven't seen such a trick since I was a little girl."

"You have grown up to be quite the young lady." Master Splinter said approvingly. "Master Hong Lee must be proud."

Upon hearing the name, Racqel's hands clenched into fists and she accidentally crushes the paper butterfly. "No." The young girl moaned when she opened her hands again. "I'm sorry." She timidly poked at the scrunched up figure like a young child hoping to make a dead animal come back to life just by touching it.

"Seems like I've touch a sensitive nerve." Master Splinter surmised.

"It is…alright. You did not know that Dye Goonya, I mean Master, had passed away." Racqel said quietly.

"Not to seem insensitive, but may I assume that he was killed by the same hands that killed my master?" Master Splinter asked.

"Yes." Racqel answered in a whisper that was so low, it was barely heard. "By his hand." Now totally ignoring the paper butterfly, the young girl clenched her hands into fists and rests them on her knees once more. "I'm sorry." She told the elder rat while looking down at those fists.

"What is there to be sorry about?" Master Splinter asked. "You can not blame yourself."

"How can I not?" Racqel questioned. "Your master would not have been found out if it had not been for mine. He came to Master Yoshi and a day later, Master Yoshi was murdered."

"You can not be certain of that." Master Splinter told her sternly.

"Why did you're master come to Master Yoshi?" Leonardo asked.

Racqel raised her head to look at the blue clad turtle. "I dunno." The young girl shrugged. "I…don't remember." She turned to look at Splinter. "Do you remember?"

"What has it been now? Ten years?" Master Splinter asked and Racqel nodded. "My memory isn't what it used to be." He told her. "Perhaps it will come to us in time."

"Well now dat da girl is here, what do we do with her?" Raphael rudely asked.

"She was staying with April." Donatello told everyone.

"Oh geez!" Racqel exclaimed. "April!"

"What about her? Is she in any danger?" Michelangelo asked.

"No, she's fine." Racqel replied. "But she doesn't know where I am. With all the excitement going on, I haven't had a chance to make any contact with her. She must be worried sick."

A voice called from the other lair entrance. "She was." April came over to everyone. On her right are was a leather glove and perched on it was Fury. "I was starting to get anxious when 3:30 came around and you weren't at the shop. When it hit four o'clock, I gave your cell a call, but you didn't answer. So I gave Don's cell a ring, but he didn't answer either."

"That must have been when I was calling Donnie." Racqel said.

"Well, then I sent Fury out to look for you at school and any of your usual spot." April continued. "When she came back with no idea of what could have happen, I decided to come down here."

Racqel expressed her regret. "I'm sorry that I made you worry." Both she and Splinter stood up.

"What's done is done." April replied casually. "Question is, what now?"

"Seein' as she was livin' with ya, she should go back with ya." Raphael said with a bit of a venomous undertone.

"But would that be wise?" Leonardo questioned. "The Foot and Purple Dragons are big enough to have eyes everywhere in the city.

"Well, I can't go back to school now that they found out where I go." Racqel answered. "So since I'll be homebound from now on, I don't think April would be in any danger."

"With all due respect to Ms. O'Neil, her place is quite small and there are many windows that can show your presences." Master Splinter pointed out. "To be confined to such a space cannot be healthy for such a young girl."

"I take no offense, because I understand where you're coming from Splinter." April agreed.

"Ya not suggestin' dat dis girl live here, are ya?" Raphael asked with disbelief. "I mean we don't even got da room."

"We do if Michelangelo releases one of his rooms to her." Master Splinter answered.

Michelangelo looked at the elder rat with shock. "Say what?"

"It's not like you really need two rooms Mikey." Donatello stated matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, well…but…" Michelangelo fumbled to counter, especially with the gaze Splinter gave him.

"I really don't want to put anyone out." Racqel said timidly.

A big smile came onto Michelangelo's face. "Well if she doesn't want to…to…" But when he saw Splinter's gaze darken to a glare, he reluctantly says, "Alright. She can have one of my rooms."

"Guess that means that Fury will be moving down here too." April let out a sigh.

"Elements forbid." Fury grunted. "I can't live down here in the sewers."

"And just what is wrong with livin' down here?" Raphael demanded.

"Duh. I'm a bird of the outdoors. I have to feel the sun on my wings or the night air through my feathers." Fury said with awe and wonder. "And I'm independent." She suddenly snapped. "I don't need to tell someone when I wanna go out and come in, ya get me."

Racqel flicked the back of the falcon's head. "With an attitude like that, I wouldn't let you stay down here." She then flashed Fury a smile. "Besides, I know how much you enjoy April's company and she yours. It would be in your best interest to stay up top with her."

Fury gave a small snort. "I know what's best for me, I don't need you to tell me."

"Can't stash it for minute, can you?" Racqel whispered harshly.

"I'm not supposed to be your best friend, I told you that." Fury whispered back.

Luna hopped onto Don's shoulder. "Can't say that I'll miss any of that." She said into his ear.

"I imagine not." Donatello replied.

* * *

_A/N: Welp, now the family has met Racqel. But how do they really feel about her being there? That'll becoming up in the next chapter of our exciting story. Stay tuned.  
Thanks for reading, until next time._


	11. Splinter's Observations

_A/N: Ok, I admit that this chapter is going to be a little tough to read. But I hope you will be able to work your way through it. _

* * *

**Splinter's Observations**

It had been practically a decade since Master Splinter last saw Racqel. At that time, he was just a pet rat sitting on his Master Yoshi's shoulder and she was just barely more than a babe of five-years. Her master and great grandfather was Master Hong Lee, a life long friend of Yoshi's. Both shared their knowledge of fight with each other and with those willing to dictate time to learning from them. They're fighting styles were well known, people came from faraway places in order to earn the right to be their disciples.

Splinter remembered that one late night Hong Lee showed up at Yoshi's place unannounced and with two young children in tow, one was a girl of five and the other a boy of six. The elder rat remembered that there was an urgent reason to why the old man came, but not what it was. He also remembered being chased around the room by a little black kitten, the little girl crying for her father, and his master doing the same origami butterfly trick that Splinter had done to quite her after being harshly disciplined by Hong Lee.

Now, ten years later, Racqel was placed before him and proving to quite an enigma. She was a puzzle in need of solving so that harmony could be kept within the lair. For the record, he had only raised male mutant turtles and so he knew his 'sons' very well. Rarely was there a time where they could get anything passed him.

But Racqel, on the other hand, was a human female. The way she acted and the way she behaved was a whole new territory for him. Where the turtles were physical and loud, Racqel was quiet and kept to herself most of time. It was obvious that spending two years alone with little contact had made quite an impact on her.

Within the first day Splinter could tell through Racqel's actions that she didn't know how to interact with others well. Though the turtles were the ones with shells, Racqel seem to be spending the most of her time in one. Her nose was always buried in a book and (with the exception of Donatello) she never talked to anyone unless they talked to her first. Whenever the other turtles approached her, Racqel became anxious or uncomfortable. Their disapproval of her relationship with Don was not something they went out of their way to hide and she knew fully well how unwelcome she was.

Splinter presences tended to make Racqel become uptight and worried. She knew that he was uncomfortable about the relationship, but still she worked hard to seek his approve.

He knew her reason was because he shared quite a resemblance to Hong Lee, who she loved dearly and respected highly.

In time, Splinter came to believe that Racqel had the mentality of both a child and an adult in the body of a confused teenage. It was almost like she didn't really understand her feelings or her body.

Evidence about not understand her body came around when all were watching television. Michelangelo turned to Racqel and abruptly asked, "What is a period?" This question came after a commercial for feminine products. All the turtles turned to look at the young girl with interest.

Racqel's cheeks redden. "It's…it's when a girl bleeds for about five or seven days once a month." It was obvious that she was uncomfortable about the subject.

"Why does a girl have a period?" Michelangelo inquired.

"I…I don't know." The young girl stammered. "Something to do with become a woman and babies…I guess." She began to fidget with fingers nervously.

"Do you have periods? What are those things for? If you bleed for seven days, wouldn't you run out of blood?" Questions like those were what Mike bombarded Racqel with and she didn't know how to answer or what to say. Her face just kept turning a deeper shade of red with ever question and she retreated into the defensive mental shell she would often hide in. Thankfully Splinter put an end to the embarrassing interrogation and she was grateful to him for doing so. The next day he saw Racqel deep in a book about the human anatomy.

Evidence on Racqel not really understanding her feelings came when April would visit the lair. Splinter noticed how differently the young girl acted around the young woman. It was obvious that Racqel had mixed feelings about April being there. She was happy that the young woman came, because now she had another female to talk to about things she did not understand. But she was also upset that April was there because the young girl would become self-conscious of herself. Every time Racqel passed a mirror, she would stop to check for imperfections in her face. Things like mysterious freckles or invisible pimples. She would also seem to have a bit of an argument with her hair by either fluff it up or smooth down. Splinter had also caught Racqel comparing her figure to April's. The young woman seemed to have definition that the young girl felt she lacked and it made her feel somewhat inferior. April had an hourglass figure and a chest to show, while Racqel seemed to have little chest and little curves.

Of course Donatello didn't really help matters any when he would look more at April than Racqel. Though he really did love Racqel, there was evidence that he still had a bit of a crush on April. So in trying to match April's looks, Racqel would suck her stomach in while throwing out her chest and stand/sit up a little straighter. The young girl would also mimic how the young woman walked. When April wasn't around, Racqel walked in a masculine kind of way (her feet would be side by side), but April walked in a feminine kind of way (one foot would slightly step in front of the other as her hips swayed from side to side). So whenever April came around, Racqel would walk in the manner as her seemly female mentor.

Now acting in this matter made Master Splinter very nervous, because he surmised that Racqel was trying to act sexy. Though his sons were mutant turtles, they were still adolescent males. Having a girl in their home was a new experience and they failed miserably at every attempt to hide their curiosity. Though Splinter had taught them better than to invade the privacy of a woman/girl, he learned that there would be times when he would catch them trying to sneak peeks at Racqel while she went to shower. One time he caught them planning to put one of Don's turtle surveillance cameras in the shower for 'educational purposes' and put an end to the idea by confiscating the equipment. Unfortunately this act did not detour them from their goal, but fueled their curiosity into making them try harder and become more sneaker.

Now if the turtles trying to spy on Racqel weren't enough, Splinter worried about how naïve she was about the fact that she was living with a bunch of guys. Thus, in the attempt to inform the young girl about the situation, it was he who almost got an eyeful of what the female body looked like.

One day, without knocking, Splinter opened the door to Racqel's room while she was preparing into take a shower. She was putting on a bathrobe and in hearing him enter, tied it close hastily. In her rush to close the robe, she failed to do it neatly, so it was slightly open when she turned around to see him in her doorway. Of course Splinter turned away quickly, but the small glimpse he got of the young girl made him aware that she was not as simple as he thought her to be. Any attempts by the turtles to have a look at her would be in vain for she wore a bathing suit. Later that same day, a sign saying, "Knock first before entering" hung on her door.

Proof of Racqel's childish mentality came to light thanks to Casey. Now that she lived in the lair, the young man visited there more often than he usually did or was allowed to. Plus his visits gave Donatello a taste of what it was like to be looked over and ignored.

Every time Casey came, Racqel was there to meet him the minute he entered. Her greeting from behind was to jump on his back and wrap her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, resulting in him giving her a piggyback ride. A greeting from the front was doing a running jump at him, causing Casey to catch her around the waist and (just for the fun of it) spin around with her. Then from those moments till he leaves, Racqel practically hung on him.

If Casey was working with Don on any of the vehicles, Racqel was constantly looking over his shoulder to see what he was doing and asking tons of questions. If they were watching television, she leaned her back on his side and hugged the arm that came over her shoulder to her side.

Of course Casey just love the attention Racqel gave him and he made no attempts to discourage it, but this did set Don off a bit. He couldn't see what she saw in the crude young man and neither could Master Splinter. Casey was destructive, rough, and rude; whereas Racqel was calm, polite, and sensible. They should go as well together as oil and water. But whenever the two got together, they became childish and loud. They teased each other, joke with each other, and talked about almost everything that was appropriate conversation material. Racqel seem to make Casey almost civil, adult like, and very protective of her.

When both April and Casey came to the lair, Racqel gravitated more over to Casey. April informed Splinter that while the young girl stayed with her, she hung on Casey when he visited the shop. This was something April welcomed, because none of the merchandise in her store would break so long as Casey was with Racqel; her martial arts training made her quick enough to catch anything the young man knocked over before it hit the floor.

At one point Splinter asked April if she knew why Racqel liked Casey so much, in case he should be worried about anything, but April didn't know. She never asked, but she felt sure that Casey posed no threat.

Knowing that the answer was to bring comfort to the elder rat, it didn't really satisfy him. So Splinter decided to go to the source of the matter and confronted Racqel. He called her into his room one day so they could talk in private. Racqel was nervous as she entered, because she learned through Don that if one is called into Master Splinter's resting quarters it is because he (or in her case) she did something so wrong that it required a private lecture and/or punishment.

"I want an explanation." Splinter said with authority once Racqel had kneeled before him and gave a bow of respect.

Racqel was confused. "An explanation about what?" She asked.

"About you and Casey." Master Splinter answered. There was a displeasing look on his furry face. "I want to know what the relationship between the two of you is."

"My relationship with Casey?" Racqel asked in surprise.

A small glare could be seen coming onto Master Splinter's face. "Do you love him?" He asked sternly.

Racqel put a finger to her chin as she thought. "Love?" After a few moments, she answers, "I suppose I do."

"Then what about Donatello?" The glare on Master Splinter's face grew more noticeable and it made Racqel more nervous.

"Wait a minute!" Racqel yelped and she puts her hands up to make a time-out sign. "Do you mean in love?" Splinter's eyebrows rose at her question. "I'm not in love with Casey." She said with a bit of a laugh, like it was a ridiculous idea. "I love Donny with all my heart and that is the truth. I haven't loved anyone as deeply as him since Jason."

"Jason?" Master Splinter asked. '_Was he the young boy Hong Lee brought with him?_'

"He was my first boyfriend. I haven't loved anyone since his death two years ago." Racqel explained. "I had closed my heart off till I meant Donny. He just…sort of…opened it back up."

"So what about what is going on between you and Casey?" Splinter's looks soften to a sympathetic one. "What is that about then?"

"I dunno really." Racqel said timidly. "Casey…it's kind of hard to explain." She rubbed the back of her head. "I'm not in love with him, but there is something about him that draws me toward him. Like…" She moved to rub her chin. "Not like a father, but like an older brother maybe…or something like that. I can't really be too sure, because I don't remember what it's like to have an older brother and I've never had anything else." She stopped rubbing her chin to think for a moment. "Come to think of it, I don't know what kind of family my father really had actually."

"What about your mother?" Master Splinter asked.

"She was an only child as far as I know." Racqel said with shrug. "Dye Goonya said that she was the only child from my grandmother. Besides, Casey doesn't look to be part Japanese or Chinese." She gave a bit of a chuckle.

Masters Splinter nodded. "I see."

"Suffice to say, I may not know how to explain why I feel the way I do about Casey. But I at least know what I feel." Racqel said. She meant to say the last part to herself, but it was loud enough for Splinter hear.

"What do you mean?" Master Splinter asked her.

The young girl's face turned a deep red when she realized she was heard. "I…I don't think Donny realizes that he still has a crush on April." Racqel said sheepishly. "I know he loves me, but…" she starts to fiddle with her fingers and looks at them rather than Splinter's eyes, "he still has a boyish crush on her."

Master Splinter straightened himself up a bit. "Perhaps it is he that I need to have a talk with." He said sternly.

"I don't mean to get him into any trouble." Racqel said anxiously.

"It is ok." Splinter said in a reassuring tone. "What right does he have to be upset over the thought of you having a crush on Casey when he was doing it himself?"

"I suppose your right Master Splinter." Racqel stood up and put her hands by her sides. "Sorry for any confusion." She gave him a bow and he bows in return.

The turtles were near the doorway when Racqel exited Splinter's room, anxious to know what kind of punishment she got. "None." Was her answer.

"Donatello!" Master Splinter's voice called through the door. "I wish to talk with you."

"M…me?" The purple clad turtle swallowed hard as he enters the room of his master.

As the other turtles wondered what their brother has done to be called into their master's room, Racqel slipped off to her own room and did not leave it till dinnertime. After dinner, Racqel visited Don in his lab area to see how he was doing and the two apologize for making the other feel bad. For the remainder of the night, while Don was tinkering on his projects with Racqel helping as best she could, they talked things out.

What interested Splinter most about Racqel was her routine. From day in to day out the young girl would keep herself busy with cooking, cleaning, and training extremely hard. He would often observer her practicing Tai Chi in the morning before making breakfast. In the afternoon it was Tai Kwon Do with a mixture of gymnastics before lunch and then she would practice tightrope walking on the set up she had on the second level of the lair.

Across the gap from one side of the lair to the other (long ways) she had stretched a cable. On the other side, the same way, was a sturdy pipe that was no bigger than the cable. Going short way in the middle of the second level was a long plank of wood that was about a foot wide. And every time Racqel went to practice she wore a ring that was an inch thick and made of solid gold; it rested comfortably on her neck like a choker.

What confused Splinter most about the ring was that it was too small to fit around her head, yet she was able to get it on and off. He never saw her put it on or take it off, so there was no explanation as to how.

During the tightrope practice, Splinter wondered why she needed to wear such jewelry. But once Racqel started doing Judo practice before dinner, the elder rat dismissed the curiosity. After dinner Racqel would do target practice with a bow and arrows she had.

Racqel's way of training was fascinating to Splinter, because of the how; she wore ankle bands and wristbands. They were bulky, awkward looking, and it wasn't until one mealtime that he learned what they were for.

"Watch what your doing Raph!" Donatello yelled suddenly when his red bandanna-wearing brother went to stab his fork into last of baked potatoes they were having. Racqel happen to be reaching for the salt at the same time and got in his path.

Before Raphael could stop, the fork sunk deep into young girl's wristband. Just a little bit panicked and half sorry for his actions, he pulled the fork out. Sand poured from the wristband onto the table. "What the shell?"

"Oops." Racqel quickly pulled her hand back. "Guess I forgot to take the weights off." She said as she examined the damaged wristband.

"You train with weights?" Leonardo asked with a small amount of interest.

"Doesn't everyone?" Racqel asked as she removed her wrist and ankle bands. "I thought that was the requirement of training. At least, that's what my master told me."

"How can you not notice that you were still wearing them?" Michelangelo asked. "I mean, that's extra weight on you."

"When you wear them as often as I do, you kind of get use to them." Racqel replied with a shrug. "Perhaps it is time to up the weights."

When she wasn't doing anything or commercials were on television, Racqel read. Everywhere she would go in the lair, a book would be in her hand or tucked under an arm. There was a slight pause in that habit (due to Raph picking on her) that pushed her to the point to almost giving it up. (But that will be explained at another time.)

With the wonder if Racqel missed school, Splinter asked her one time and her reply was, "Not at all. In fact I found learning more enjoyable now that I can do it in my own time. There's no stressing about doing ten page essays on things I don't understand, pressure to have major books read within a certain time, or cramming for exams that I could never pass. Now I can relax, take in things with stride, and actually enjoy what I want to learn."

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_A/N2: Ok, so I said last chapter that you would read about how everyone would feel about having the girl around and in a way you did. But see, I wrote this chapter a long time ago and realized it went better before rather than after the chapter of how the turtles felt. (I hope that explanation made sense.)  
Thanks for reading, until next time._


	12. How They Feel

_A/N: I kinda had a hard time deciding on how I wanted this chapter to go. It was a toss up between first person or third, but finally I did pick one. (yay) BTW: being that I'm writing in how they would talk, please excuse the bad grammar. _

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**How They Feel**

**Racqel:** Donnie's brothers don't like me and I really can't blame them. I mean here I come, out of nowhere, and invade their home (_metaphorical speaking that is_). I completely understand the fact that they must see me as the enemy. And, in their own little way, they kinda scare me. I don't mean by how they look, I mean by how they act towards me. Michelangelo is scornful, Leonardo is distrustful, and Raphael despises me. If they don't wanna share words with me, that's ok (_to tell you the truth I rather have it that way_). But…. (_Sigh_) in order for us all to live peaceful together (_or somewhere close to it_), it's gonna have to take effort on my part to get them to accept me. But first…let's just see if we can get along.

* * *

**Michelangelo Accepts Loss **

Dude! This is like, so not fair. I can't believe that Master Splinter just up and gave one of my rooms over to that girl without even asking me first. And if that wasn't bad enough, he gave her my favorite room. It was the one on the ground floor, the biggest of all the rooms here (_aside from the dojo of course_) and I had plans for it. I was gonna fill that room up with comic books, action figures, and cards. THEN I was going to spend hours pouring over all that I've collected.

But now, grrr…now, she is gonna have that room and she is gonna make it all girlie. I could picture it as I moved all my stuff back into the only room I had left. The walls will be pink, boy band posters all over the place, and all those other things girls gotta have up in their rooms. Shell, it just turns my stomach that my room is gonna be so…so…violated.

And do you know what's worse than knowing what's gonna happen? Having to watch the whole thing go down. Thanks to Donnie's girlfriend, who insisted that I help her move cause she got a lot of stuff, Master Splinter ordered me do just that.

So on the morning of the move I watch Racqel disappear into a cloud of red smoke to go to some weird named bank in a place she called, 'The Wizard World'. Riiiight, like there's really such a place as that. And while I'm waiting with Donnie for her to get back, I look over at him. The dude was like he couldn't sit still throughout the whole time she was gone. One minute he's up pacing around and the next he was fidgeting on his seat.

Hours later she finally comes back in that same puff of smoke and with boxes, on top of boxes, on top of boxes. By Bushido I didn't think she would have this much stuff (_…or maybe I'm just exaggerating_). Anyway, Donnie automatically jumps up and grabs the first box. But when I went to grab a box, the girl just shoves one into my arms.

"You take this one." She ordered.

"Yes, my lady." I replied coldly. '_Maybe when she's not looking, I'll drop kick it into the room._'

"And be extremely careful with that, wouldn't want to damage any of those vintage games." Racqel added as I stormed away.

I stop and turned around to face her. "Vintage games?"

"Well that's what I said, didn't I?" Racqel asked while coming up to me with a box labeled 'Nintendo'.

I looked down at the box I carried and saw a bunch of old NES games. "So you're into Nintendo, big deal."

"That's not all I have." Racqel stated. "I have almost every console that's out except the X-Box. But you already have one, right?"

"Uh…duh…yeah." I stammered. I really didn't know what to say.

"You're welcome to all that I have at any time that you want if you like." Racqel offered.

"Really?" I practically squealed. "Ya mean it?"

"Of course." Racqel replied with a nodded. "It's the least I could do after taking your room."

"Dude, I can't wait." I laughed. '_I'm in video game heaven!_'

"Yes you can." Master Splinter ordered from the television area. "Cause you are not playing until she's moved in."

I saw Racqel stifled a laugh. I guess Sensei said something funny and it seem like only she could hear it. I have a feeling it had to do with letting him finish his soap opera or something like that.

Now that I had something to look forward to, I was in a big hurry to help get that girl's room set up. As I help move boxes in and unloaded them, I found that I was frumping over nothing. My room wasn't going to be girlified totally.

Racqel had a regular twin bed, just like everyone else, that was put in the left corner of the room. There were three tall shelves that went from the end of the bed to the corner and were stuffed with Nonfictions books, Potion books, and textbooks. Along the wall opposite the bed were two more shelves with display cases on top and regular shelves bellow them. In the display cases were Nutcrackers, Nesting Dolls, Music boxes, and Snow globes. On the bottom shelves were DVD movies, videotape cartoons, mangas (Ranma ½, Utena and Full Metal Alchemist), graphic novels (Elfquest was one of them), comic collections (For Better or For Worse, Calvin and Hobbs, etc.) and comic books (some went as far back as the fifties, nice).

On the top of all the shelves were the entire collection of small to medium stuff animals Racqel own and a couple of big ones were on the floor at the end of the bed. But that's to be expected of a girl, so I think I could let that slide. Next to the display case shelves was a roll-top desk with stationary things in all its drawers and holes. There was also a desk lamp on the top of the desk.

On the right side of the bed was a nightstand with a red lava lamp (_how hippie_) and a radio alarm clock. Along the same wall the nightstand was and a foot away was a lighted vanity dresser. Now that's very girly, but I guess a girl's got to keep her looks up for her boyfriend (_mental note, ammunition for teasing both Donnie and Racqel, heh_). Next to the dresser were these canvas closets and a canvas hamper.

On the walls above the bed going towards the dresser were posters. There was Sailor Moon, Utena Revolutionary Girl, and Mario Brothers. But there was one that both Donnie and I especially like. It was a Metal Gear Twin Snakes and it actually moved. I couldn't believe my eyes when I watched Solid Snake duking it out with Liquid Snake. After a short while they got tired and started heading their separate ways.

"I'm off to find a poster with Meryl in it." Solid said.

"Well I'm off to find one with a good gin and tonic." Liquid replied.

"Meet you back in half an hour?" Solid asked.

"Sure, why not." Liquid answered.

"See you guys later." Racqel told them and they put up a hand to acknowledge her.

After getting over the fact that the poster moved, talked, and Racqel spoke to it, Donnie asked, "How did you obtain all this stuff?"

"I may have been on the run, but it didn't mean I couldn't collect things." Racqel replied, somewhat insulted. "It's about time I got to have it all out." She added happily.

"But the gaming systems. When did you ever have time to play any of those?"

"There were times when Jason and I were able to play a few of the earlier ones. As for the others, we just bought them and stored them at the bank till we were finally safe enough to play them. If you noticed, most of them are still wrapped up."

I don't remember how the argument ended really, cause I was in the middle of reading one of her mangas. When I heard Donnie calling me I was halfway through the first volume. Racqel saw that I didn't want to leave and allowed me to stay while they went out to set up one of her systems.

* * *

**Leonardo Gives His Approval **

Master Splinter always taught us not to make snap judgments about people until all the facts were gathered. But I can't help being suspicious of Racqel. There was no way I can know if she is really safe to have around our home. I mean just because she doesn't know who she's related to doesn't mean there couldn't be a possibility it would be to our greatest enemy.

Plus it's hard to look over those punk-like attributes she's got. Sure she doesn't dress like one of those guys, but what about that one earring and those tattoos. In fact, Donnie and I got into an argument over that.

He claimed those roses around her neck are birthmarks, but I said, "No way. I've never heard of birthmarks coming in every color of the rainbow."

"Then I don't know what to tell you." Racqel said as she came up behind Donnie and me, without me even knowing it.

Oh that made me so mad. Nobody has ever been able to hide their presence from me, other than Master Splinter, not even my brothers. And yet she was able to do it with such ease. It made me feel somewhat inferior that a martial artist was able to out sneak a ninjitsu master.

Anyway, like I always do, I look Racqel over. She was wearing a maroon t-shirt and red shorts. Nothing out of the ordinary, except for the fact that she had a sheath dagger tattoo on her right calf. It was thirteen inches long; the point started at the ankle and the top was at the knee. At the top of the handle was a red tassel, the sheath was black with a red jewel two inches from the point and two red jewels an inch from the handle; the jewels were an inch apart.

I pointed at that tattoo. "I suppose that you're going to tell me that that's a birthmark too." I said coldly.

"No." Racqel replied honestly and then turned to Donnie. "This is that tat I was telling you about."

"The one you had since you were really young." Donatello said matter-of-factly. "It looks so real."

I cocked an eyebrow at her. "How young?"

"I dunno." Racqel shrugged. "I guess since I was…um…seven, I think."

"Seven?" I exclaimed. "What parlor would let a seven-year-old get a tattoo?"

"Dye Goonya got them to put it on me." Racqel replied as she bent down onto her left knee. "It's for protection." She tapped the tattoo twice with two fingers.

"Protection!" I gave a harsh laugh. "How in the world is that…that…" I began to stutter, because the tattoo suddenly started shimmering before turning into a real sheath dagger. "That was amazing."

"Ain't it?" Racqel asked as she pulled the seven-inch blade out and offered it to me.

I took the dagger and held it in both hands so I could study from tip to handle. Then I moved the blade so that the light would hit it. It shone like silver and the sparkle at the end was like a twinkle of a star. "Nice." I breathed while holding the dagger out on one finger. "Light, well balanced too." I chucked it at the target shield we had laying around and it sunk deeply into the bulls-eye. "Yet strong and sturdy."

"If you think that's something..." Racqel says proudly while taking the dagger out of the target and put it away, "...wait until you see my sword." She took the earring out off her ear, held it in the palm of her right hand, and tapped it with her middle finger. Just like the tattoo, the earring shimmered before growing into a real sword. It was half her size, the handle long enough for two hands, and there was a blue stone embedded in it.

Donatello had said nothing through the tattoo changing and he could barely say anything through the earring changing but, "…w…wow."

Racqel held the sword out to me with both hands and bowed her head. "I offer my blade for you to inspect. May its clarity reflect my soul and its preservation reflect my loyalty."

Being a swordsman myself, I knew that respecting the blade was the number one priority. '_Take care of the sword and it will take care of you'_, Master Splinter always said. But I was surprised that Racqel knew how to act when presenting her blade to me. Nevertheless I took it and examined it closely.

The sword was well balance and light like the dagger, yet it was sturdy enough to take a good beating. When light hit it, it reflected off the blade like it was a clear stream. The attention that went into caring for it was flawless. The blade was smooth, not a dent in it, and it was sharp enough to practically cut air.

Satisfied that the sword did reflect everything Racqel asked that it would, I handed it back to her in the same manner that she handed it to me. To my surprised, she took her sword back with disappointment. "What?"

Racqel looked at her blade sadly. "Um…nothing."

Master Splinter came up behind us. "You did not do it right my son." He told me. "Does the sword meet your expectations?"

I responded obediently. "Yes Master."

"Then tell her so." Master Splinter ordered. "Take the sword back." I did as I was told. "Now hold it out for her and say…." The rest was whispered into my ear.

I held out the sword, looked Racqel in the eye, and said, "I see that its clarity reflects the purity of your soul and that its preservation reflects your devotion to loyalty."

Happily, Racqel accepted her sword back with a bow. "I thank you for letting me prove myself." Then she blew on the sword to make it change back into an earring and put it back in her ear. "My swordsmanship is not as great as it should be." She put her right fist into the palm of her left hand, held them in front of her face, and bent slightly forward in a semi-bow kind of way. "Please allow me to train and spar with you so as to sharpen my skills."

This took me by surprised. "Uh…sure."

"Thank you." Racqel replied and gave another bow.

'_Perhaps she is not so bad after all._' I thought. '_I guess she deserves to be given a chance._'

* * *

**Raphael Bares His Teeth **

I don't know about anybody else around here, but I don't like Racqel. Actually, ta tell ya da truth, I just plain hate her. Dere's sumpthin' about her dat I don't trust, other den the fact dat she's da granddaughter of Shredder (_I think it's da fact dat she's hidin' sumpthin' from us_). Everythin' she does (_and I do mean everythin'_) gets on my nerves.

Like when she was told she could make herself at home, she takes Mikey's other room (_not dat he really needed a second room_) and den goes changin' da lair around ta fit her needs.

But what I hate most of all, what really gets me down in da shell, is da fact dat she able ta so easily twist my tech-wizardin' brother around her finger. I mean she doesn't even love Donnie at all. Ta me, she's a succubus just suckin' da life out of him. She's a black snake coilin' herself around him, hypnotizin' him ta do her biddin'.

Anything Racqel needed, Donnie got for her. Instead of fixin' things dat need fixin' around da lair, uber-geek goes around installin' stuff. Like, for instance, a dishwasher.

When I asked him why, he tells me dat it's only fair since she makes all da meals around here now and so dat she don't get any dishpan hands. But nobody told her she had ta cook and if she didn't make those big breakfasts, large lunches, and four ta five course dinners, she wouldn't have so many dishes ta clean.

Den der's da washin' machine and dryer so she can clean her clothes. What? She too good ta do it by hand like Master Splinter does with his kimono? Besides what difference does it make? After couple hours of bein' cleaned dey'd just gonna smell like da sewers again anyway. If she didn't have so many clothes, she wouldn't even need a machine ta clean dem with.

As far as I'm concern der's no relationship, cause I believe dat no human would want ta have one with a mutant turtle. Racqel is just usin' Donnie ta get sumpthin' from him or ta get him do sumpthin' (_sumpthin' evil I'll bet_). Unfortunately I can't really put my finger onta what exactly. But I will tell ya dis much, I'm gonna find out. Someway, I gonna prove ta Donnie dat dis whole thing is nothin' more den a charade of some sort.

Actually der was dis one time I had a chance ta make him see da light. See, one day I was passin' by Mikey buggin' Donnie over near his lab. "Come on Don-san. I bet you're a natural Don Perignon." He gave my purple bro a nudge in the rib area with his elbow while one of his eyebrows bounced up and down.

Donnie rolled his eyes. It was just like our little brother ta get his terms mixed up. "That's Don Juan, ya idjit."

"Whatever dude." Mikey pressed his face close inta Donnie's personal space. "Just tell me what it's like to kiss."

Donnie let out a heavy sigh. "To tell you the true Mikey, I don't know."

"What do ya mean ya don't know?" I exclaimed.

Both my bros' heads shot tawards my direction, obviously dis is da first dey knew of me bein' der.

"Well…" Donnie let out a nervous laugh. "We never kissed."

"Figures." I muttered.

"Don't go there Raph." Donnie scolded. "She's not a speciesist."

"She's not a what?" I asked.

"Speciesist. Prejudice against other species." Donnie answered in his matter-of-factly way. "If you must know, we've come close many times."

"Sure ya have." I said while rollin' my eyes. "But please, tell me why ya two have never kissed." Donnie went to say sumpthin' and stopped ta think about it. "I know, why don't we ask her?"

Donnie put down whatever he was doing and stood up straight. "Alright, we'll ask her and then you'll be sorry about what you thought of her." He marched over to the T.V. area with Mikey and me followin' him.

Both our 'fearless leader' and dat girl sat on the couch; he was watching da news, she was reading a book (_big surprise der_).

"Racqel, why haven't we kissed yet?" My brother asked in a demandin' tone from behind her and Leo.

Da way da question was asked caught everyone off guard, includin' me. Leo squeezed da remote so hard dat it flew out of his hand, Mikey nearly choked on his spit, I felt like smackin' Donnie upside his head, and da girl lost hold of da book she was readin'.

"Whoa, what?" Racqel looked up at him with shock.

Donnie leaned over the edge of the couch and calmly asked, "I want to know why we never kissed."

"Oh…um…" Racqel looked around at all of us, uncomfortable-like. "It's just that…you never seemed that interested in wanting to kiss. I mean we came close once and then never again."

"Well I'm interested now." Donnie announced as he jumped over the back of the couch, landing right next ta her. "Kiss me." He closed his eyes, puckered his lips, and leaned tawards her.

Racqel looked at him like he was crazy. "Here? Now?" With his lips still puckered, Donnie nodded. "You have got to be kidding me." She jumped up from her seat, snatched her book up off the ground, and began ta walk away.

"What?" Donnie's eyes shot wide open and he turned ta yell at her backside. "Why won't you kiss me?"

Racqel turn around with her book tucked in her right arm and her left hand on her hip. "I can't believe you actually have to ask." She shook her head in disbelief before turnin' ta walk ta Mikey's old room.

Donnie sat der for a moment in bewilderment, den his face screwed up inta a totally pissed off look. He pushed of the couch with such force da we all though the couch was gonna collapse under the pressure and stormed back ta his lab ta resume whatever he was doin'.

And of course I, bein' da sensitive brother dat I am, went over ta him ta rub my victory in his face. "What did I tell ya?"

Donnie let out a snarl before sayin', "Shut up Raph."

"Oh come on." I got on da opposite of da table he was workin' at. "Der is no way ta explain why she won't kiss ya other den the fact she don't l…."

"I said, 'Shut Up!'" Donnie barked. "I don't want to talk about it."

I put my hands down on da table and got as close ta Donnie's face as I dared ta. "Da girl is bad news, I just know it. I can feel it in my bones." I watched Donnie grip his screwdriver tightly as he got even angrier with me, but I continued. "Da girl wants sumpthin' from ya and I'm not gonna stop tellin' ya dat until ya get it through yer thick skull."

"I told you I don't want to talk about it." Donnie growled. Den he slammed his screwdriver down on da table, right between my hands. "But I'll tell you this much, if you don't stop talking about Racqel like that I'll…"

"Ya'll what?" I asked in a darin' tone, while shiftin' my eyes down tawards the screwdriver. "Don't tell me ya'll take her over yer own brother."

Donnie let out a frustrated sigh. "No, I'm not." His angry glare did not go away. "But you're not giving her a fair chance."

I pulled back and turned my back on him. "She's not givin' me much ta wanna give her one." Decidin' dat I would give Donnie some time ta cool off before tryin' ta argue my point with him again, I walked away.

I came back ta da lab a while later. Donnie had moved inta dat subway car he had and he wasn't alone, Racqel was in der. "Come on D, don't do this to me." She whined. "Don't shut me out like this."

Now dis was too good ta pass up. Donnie and his 'girlfriend' were havin' a fight. I leaned up against da side of the subway car, just under one of da windows, ta listen ta it all play out.

"Do you know how embarrassing that was?" Donnie snapped. "There I was, defending you to Raphie and you just up and leave me hanging. All I asked you to do was kiss me. Was that really too much to ask?"

"Yes."

"How?"

"You wanted me to kiss you in front of your brothers. I wasn't going to do that."

"Why not? Are you trying to prove Raph right? Are you too good to kiss me?"

"No!"

"Then why?"

"Because a kiss is sacred and I want it to be just the right mood for us. I don't our first kiss to be proving something to your brothers or anyone else for that matter."

"Well, forgive me for not believing your motives this time."

I couldn't believe my ears, he wasn't believin' her lies dis time. I jumped way from the subway car ta look up at the window I was below. Donnie was just turnin' his back ta da girl. '_Good fer you bro._' I thought.

"Donnie…D…you have to…"

"I don't have to do nothing." Donnie took up a test tube full of clear liquid. "Now if you'll excuse me, I really want to get back to my experiments." Suddenly, da girl grabbed his shoulder and spun him around to face her. "Racqel, what are you doing?" Den she slammed him up against da wall.

I raced around ta da side of da car where da door was. Just as I go der, I hear glass shatterin'. "Leo! Mikey! Da girl is doin' sumpthin' ta Donnie!" I yelled as I burst inta da lab with my sai drawn and saw da girl holdin' my bro up against da wall.

Racqel took a step back from Donnie. "Well, that wasn't exactly the mood I wanted, but still…it was nice." She said quietly.

"Get away from him." I shouted.

Racqel turned ta face me with redden cheek. "Oh." Da girl gasped. "Um…hi." Den she gave me a sheepish wave.

"Don't 'hi' me." I snapped. "What did ya do ta my bro?" Leo and Mikey finally joined me, but der weapons weren't out.

"Um…nothing." Racqel cleared her throat. "Well…um…bye." She jumped out of da lab through da other door.

I went ta chase after her, but stopped when I heard Donnie mumble something incoherent while slidin' down da side of da wall. "Bro…ya ok?" Leo and Mikey came up behind me.

Leo looked over my shoulder at Donnie. "What did she do to him?" He asked with his usual elderly brother concern.

"I don't know." I answered while lookin' closer at Donnie.

Mikey was lookin' over my other shoulder. "He don't look so good."

My techie bro had really red cheeks and dis goofy grin on his face. "Please sir, I want some more." He slurred out.

"Come on Donnie…bro…" I smacked his cheeks lightly. "Shake it off, ya gonna be alright."

Donnie shook his head and looked around at us. "Wha…what are you guys doing in here?" He looked around his lab. "Where's Racqel?"

"She ran way." I told him while helpin' him up onta his feet. "Probably locked herself up in da room she took from Mikey."

"Why did she run?" Donnie asked.

"Raph chased her off." Mikey said in his tattlin' voice.

Donnie just glared at me. "Whatchya go and do that for?" He snapped.

"Cause she was attackin' ya." I told him sternly. "I came in here ta save yer shell."

"She wasn't attacking me." Donnie retorted. "She was kissing me. We just had our first kiss."

"She wha…" Before I could finish my question, Mikey shoved past me ta get ta Donnie.

"Oh, oh…" Dat bratty little turtle groaned as he jumped up and down. "Tell me what's it like. Was it cool? Was it disgusting?"

I grabbed Mikey by the back of the shell and pulled him outta my way. "Let me get this straight. She kissed you?"

"Yup." Donnie said proudly. Den a grin came onta his face and spread as far as it could go. "Told ya she loved me."

I put a hand ta my stomach and made a face. "I think I'm gonna be sick." I gagged as I exited the sub-car, leavin' Donnie to retell his recent encounter of the girly kind.

Poutin', I wandered over ta the T.V. area and flopped onta da couch. '_Ok, so she won dis battle. But she won't win da war. Someway, somehow, I'll figure out what she's up ta and expose her as the evil dat she is._'

* * *

_A/N2: Well, now we know how everyone else feels about the new girl in the sewer.  
Anyway, thanks for reading. Until next time._


	13. A Fatal Mistake

**A Fatal Mistake**

**(Splinter's Observation pt. 2)**

Since the beginning of Racqel's stay at the lair, Splinter had counted his blessings that she needed little supervision, parental guidance, and structure. To tell the truth, it wasn't really his place, nor was it his responsibility to provide such things. But because she was living with them and that she was becoming a big part of Don's life, the elder rat felt that he should know her and understand her, rather that than just observe her.

Besides, one would think that with the experience Mater Splinter had at raising four turtles from toddlers to teenagers, he'd know better than to jump to the conclusion that a kid could be all figured out.

Why? Because that kid will always, _always_, throw a sudden curve that will cause a person to question what could really be known. Every parent learns that the road of Parenthood is littered with unsuspecting turns and if one is not careful, they could find themselves being thrown way off track.

So when Splinter decided that to take an interest in what the young girl fancied, he discovered that not only did he missed the detour sign ahead of him, and had taken that wrong turn, but that he also ended up slamming into a brick wall that just happen to pop up. He found that his observations only showed him a small part of her and what he would learn, he never would have expected.

The conclusion started with what she read. One day, Splinter saw her reading a hardbound book with a small picture of black and white cat wearing a small rectangular mustache on the front downright corner. Because she always had the book in her lap and there was no title on the front of it, the elder rat couldn't see what it was. The look on her face when she read it was a sad one.

The only reason Splinter became concerned about what the book could be about was because Michelangelo was interested in it. When he asked if he could read it when she was done, Racqel told him that his purple clad brother wanted it next.

A week later Donatello was reading the book with a stern look while he did. He held it in one hand and unfortunately that hand covered most of the title. All Splinter could see was the first two letters, 'MA'. Mike hovered around his techie brother, waiting to get his hands on the book, but was told that Leonardo called dibs. Don was able to finish the book two days later.

When Splinter saw Leo reading the book, the blue clad turtle had a mix look of shock and disgust. But the book now had a cover on it. Finally, Splinter could see what the title of the book was, "Mause". The art on the cover was a large picture of the cat wearing the mustache and a swastika was behind it. Below that were two mice huddling together, one was wearing a trench coat and the other wad wrapped in a blanket. Leo got halfway through the book before he put the book down, never to pick it up again. Something about it made it hard for him to continue reading it.

Seeing his chance, Michelangelo tried to pounce on the abandon book. Only he was beaten to it by Splinter. The elder rat was going to find out what it was about before he would let his youngest son read it.

In the beginning the book didn't seem to be anything more than a comic depicting the artist's father's life during the holocaust and Splinter started to feel foolish for worrying over nothing. If anything this would be a good way to teach his youngest some history, seeing that he liked comic books a lot. But further viewing showed that the book was going to become a bit graphic, a bit darker. He started to see why Leo didn't want to finish and he definitely didn't want Mike reading it until his mental age was more like his physical.

Now this book led Master Splinter wanting to investigate the other reading material Racqel had. Her regular books (like Les Miserable, Jane Eyre, fairytales) gave him no reason to worry, but her mangas and graphic novels did. After looking at them all he didn't tell Racqel what she could or could not read, but he did ban his sons from Ranma 1/2 and Elfquest. It was do to the fact that they showed too much nudity.

While in her room, Splinter took a glance at her collection of movies and cartoons. Most of them were self-explanatory and deemed safe enough for his sons to watch. However there were a few he was unsure about, so he decided to view a few. Let just say that Paranoid Agent was too violent, Dogma rubbed the wrong way, Yellow Submarine was confusing, and Utena the movie made his fur stand on end due to the fact that it was pretty graphic in the wrong way. After his viewing the DVD mysteriously disappeared, never to be seen or found again.

It was at this point that Master Splinter's parental instincts started to kick in. Sure the stuff the young girl had was not bad, but he wanted to make sure that there wasn't a chance that it could get worse. Of course he would have to guide Racqel without her know he was. The last thing the elder rat needed was to get into a fight over how the young girl should continue living her life nor did he want Donatello mad at him for accidentally driving the girl away.

It was now that Splinter felt that the best way to start indirectly leading the young girl down a proper path, was to have her keep a healthy mental eye. In order to do that, the elder rat thought maybe she should join him and his sons in mediation. Also, to make her comfortable, Splinter decided to use her music to set the calming state. He knew Racqel's music was safe, because he had heard her play most of it many times.

Most of the young girl's music were burnt CDs with music she had gotten off the Internet, but he tended to look the other way on that matter due to the fact that his sons' had burnt CDs too. The elder rat knew the young girl and turtles could not go up to the music store to find out what kind of music they liked. From listening to her collection so far, there was nothing that made Splinter question her taste or think there was anything to worry about…until the time for meditation.

So after Racqel accepted the invitation to join meditation, Splinter gathered the CD player while everyone got ready. He was going to ask the young girl for some of her music before everyone got into position, but changed his mine when he picked up the player and found two burnt CDs underneath it. The one on top had two words written on it; one was 'Classical' and the other was smudge a bit. Splinter surmised that both belonged to Racqel and figured they would be enough, that he shouldn't trouble the young girl further.

To Splinter's surprise, Racqel objected when he put the 'Classical' labeled CD into the player. Thinking that the young girl was confused on the concept of what he was doing, Splinter informed her that he had decided it would be safe to use for meditation. With a nervous look on her face, Racqel reluctantly backed down and seated herself right next to the player.

Once everyone was in the lotus position and doing the proper breathing exercise, Splinter started the player. Everyone closed their eyes as the soft music of Beethoven's 'Fur Elise' drifting to their ears. But the lull of the piano lasted only a few minutes before an abrupt introduction of a synthesizer and an acoustic electric guitar came blaring out of the player. So sudden were these and other unforeseen instruments to a classical symphony that came on, everyone but Racqel jumped. Splinter jumped the highest out of them all.

Once back down on the ground, the elder rat looked at the young girl. "What kind of music is this?"

"It's…um…Classical Techno." Racqel replied embarrassingly as she paused the player. "Classical music remixed in a techno style." She added a nervous chuckle.

"Nice." Michelangelo laughed with excitement. "Let's hear some more of that." He reached over and un-paused the player. The techno music mixed with a piano playing 'Fur Elise' blared through the speakers.

Splinter stopped the player and took out the disc. "Perhaps another time." He picked up the other CD he had found and read that title to be sure it was something he wanted to play, '_Twelve Girls Band and Evanescence_'. Through the commercials on TV the elder rat knew what kind of group 'Twelve Girls Band' was, but he had never heard of a group called 'Evanescence'. So for the second time that day, Splinter had made a bad assumption. He assumed that 'Evanescence' meant 'Elevated Essence'. Since that was what they were trying to accomplish through meditation, this group must be ok to listen to.

Master Splinter put the CD into the player while Racqel was busy putting the other disc away, so she didn't see him do it. Meditation started up once again and lasted through out the first couple of songs on the disc, because they were from 'Twelve Girls Band'. But soon meditation came to a sudden halt when Evanescence's 'Haunted' came on, thanks to the eerie music and the lyric 'Watching me, rapping me'.

The elder rat and all four teenage turtles looked at Racqel, causing the young girl to laugh apprehensively as she reached over to the CD player to turn it off.

"Is that what I think it was?" Michelangelo asked. "Did…did it say what I think I heard?"

Racqel smiled nervously. "Uh-huh."

For a moment, nobody knew what to say. It was unbelievable. It was shocking. And it put a huge grin on Raphael's face. He was delighted in the fact that Racqel added to the reality that she was not a perfect little angel.

"I can't believe you listen to Gothic Rock." The red clad turtle laughed.

"What makes you say that?" Racqel asked with a bit of an insulted tone.

"Cause yer da girl who can recite both 'Winnie da Pooh' theme songs." Raphael answered. "I mean yer goal in life is ta collect everythin' dat is cute." His voice started to take on a more venomous tone. "She, who when hangin' around Casey, would act _so_ cute it could make Care Bears puke."

"I think you're exaggerating just a little bit too much there." Racqel replied. "I'm really don't act _that_ innocent."

"And that's what's worries me." Master Splinter muttered to himself before clearing his throat and turning to Racqel. "I would like to see your music please."

"Yes sir." Racqel jumped to her feet and trotted over to her room.

A second later the young girl came back with two shoeboxes, one under each arm. She put them down in front of Splinter and the turtles, then jogged back to pull out some more of her music collection.

Eager to see what she had, Michelangelo yanked the top off one of the shoeboxes. In it were a bunch of tapes with music from the 80's, 90's, and musicals like Les Miserable and Hair. Leonardo took the top off the other shoebox to reveal thin CD cases with burnt CDs in them. There was music from many different eras; Classical, Big Bands, Swing, and Oldies.

Master Splinter flipped through each box while waiting for Racqel to un-bury more of her music. Nothing really bad stood out as he flipped through the CD selection, until he hit one that was in the way back. It was labeled 'song by Weird Al Yankovic'. Splinter took the CD out and held it up to his sons. "Who is this person? I do not recognize the name."

"With all due respect Sensei, you don't recognize half the stuff we listen to." Michelangelo pointed out.

"I suppose not." Master Splinter sighed. "But do you know who this person is?"

Donatello took the CD. "He's nobody I've ever really heard of."

Raphael snatched the CD. "Isn't he da guy dat takes all dem popular songs and re-write dem ta be different?"

Mater Splinter took the disc back. "I think this requires a more through investigation." He took the other CD out of the player and placed the new one into it. "We will give each song a listen and find out what kind of music this is."

"Why don't we wait until Racqel comes back out and ask her?" Donatello questioned.

"Yeah, right." Michelangelo scoffed. "Like she's going to tell us that it's bad, if it's bad."

"She's not you." Donatello stated. "If Master Splinter asked her if this is appropriate music or not, she would tell him the truth."

"I dunno." Leonardo interjected. "She might actually not tell us the truth."

"Oh come on Leo." Donatello replied. "Not you too."

"Donnie, ya got da girl up on a frickin' pedestal." Raphael snapped. "Of course she can do no wrong in yer eyes."

"My sons, please, let's not bicker any longer." Master Splinter interrupted. "Let us just give the disc a quick listen and then ask her. That way we can determine if she would tell the truth or not. Agreed?" Everyone nodded in approval and the listening started.

They listened to each song all the way up till the first chorus before skipping to the next. What they got were things like; "Don't go makin' phony calls", "Yo-yo-yo-yo yoda", and "Just eat it, eat it, eat it, eat it". Now that wasn't so bad.

But when they got further on, they were getting disturbing things like; "There's a cat in the kettle at the Peking Moon" and "We been spending most our lives living in an Amish paradise" (the words to this was so hard to make out, it was at first thought to be 'Gangster Paradise'). But most disturbing of them all was the one called 'The Night Santa Went Crazy'. They listened to the whole song and couldn't believe their ears when it finished.

"That…that was scary." Michelangelo stammered. "I can't believe anyone could talk about Santa Clause that way."

"I am _so_ going to love her explanation for dis." Raphael chuckled. "I'm still sure she ain't gonna tell us da truth."

Donatello started to say something, "I…" But he got interrupted by their favorite party-crasher.

"Yo, dat isn't dat Weird Al guy is it?" Casey questioned as he came over from the elevator entrance. "What are ya doin' listen ta dat guy?" He asked angrily. "Dontchya know dat half his songs come off bad?"

"Whoa, wait a minute." Raphael snapped. "Why is what we listen ta any of yer concern?"

"Cause I don't want dat kind of influence around Racqel." Casey retorted. "She's a sweet kid and dis stuff could ruin her."

"Well fer yer information, dis CD belongs ta dat sweet kid yer talkin' about." Raphael informed the black-haired man heatedly.

"It's Racqel's?" Casey said with shock. "Give me dat." He popped the player opened, yanked out the CD, and snapped in half.

"Hey!" Racqel shouted while she was coming towards them with two more shoeboxes. "Whatchya go and do that for?"

"Because ya don't need ta be listenin' ta trash like dat." Casey told her sternly. "Stuff like dat can rot yer brain."

"You have no right to tell me what I can or can not do." Racqel barked.

"Oh, dat's what ya think." Casey scoffed. "Now show me everythin'. I wanna see if what ya got is good enough fer ya."

Racqel looked shocked. "Excuse me?" Then she uttered the phase Master Splinter feared that _he_ would get from the young girl if he got on her case. This was the phase that he wanted to avoid at all cost. "Butt out, you're not my father." With that said she dropped to her knees and tried to gather up the other boxes she had brought out.

"I may not be yer father," Casey also drops down to his knees and stops her by holding the boxes down, "but I am yer uncle." He told her sternly. "And since I'm da only family ya got left, it's up ta me ta make sure yer goin' down da straight and narrow."

"Un…uncle?" Racqel stammered. "I…have…an uncle?" She looked around at everyone with a shocked expression.

* * *

Disclaimers: I think I've covered them all within the story. If I missed any, I'm sure someone will tell me.

_A/N: Oh, wow! Casey's got a niece, but you're all probably asking 'WTF?' Well relax, it just one of the many surprises I'll be pulling out of my hat._

_P.S: Yeah, yeah. Like I couldn't put anymore 'shameless plugs' into my story. But it goes into describing Racqel's tasted._

_Hope you liked the latest chapter in my ever going saga, thanks for reading and until next time._


	14. The Man Called Uncle

__

A/N: In the cartoon they never really tell how hold Casey and April are. So I'm putting Casey to be in his early thirties (like 32) and April to be in her mid to late 20's (maybe 25 or 27?).

* * *

**The Man Called Uncle**

Racqel was still in a state of shock from what Casey had told her. So Raphael asked the obvious question. "What in da shell makes ya think dat Racqel is yer niece?" The red clad turtle asked in a half surprise, half rude tone.

Casey brought out an old fashion looking black and white photograph. In it was a man sitting in an antique oak chair and he looked like an older version of Casey, maybe somewhere in the very late 30's. He had neck length greasy hair, semi cold looking eyes, and was dressed in a black suit. Leaning on his right leg in confident kind of pose was a boy of eight. He had bushy shoulder length hair, friendly looking eyes, and an easy-going smile. Hanging on the man's left leg was a boy of six. He had short fluffy hair, a silly grin, and kind looking eyes. In the man's lap were two children of age five, a boy on the right leg and a girl on the left. The boy had bushy short hair, vulnerable looking eyes, and a thumb in his mouth. The girl had bushy shoulder length hair, gentle looking eyes, and a pacifier in her mouth. All the children were dressed in the same clothes, white t-shirt and black pants.

Master Splinter took the photo and studies it a bit. "What is it that we are supposed to see Mr. Jones?" He asked.

"Look closely." Casey said insistently. "Dontchya recognize someone?" Everyone gathered around the elder rat to look at the photo. When no one could see what the black haired man was talking about, they gave him a blank stare in reply. "What, ya can't see it?" He took the shot and pointed to the girl. "Dat's Racqel."

"Yer kiddin'." Raphael snatched the photo to look at it. "I guess it does look like her…a little."

"What do ya mean a little?" Casey groused. "Dat's her alright."

Donatello took the photo and pulled Racqel close to him. "Is that Jason?" He quietly asked as he shifted his eyes towards the boy hang on the man's left leg.

"Yes." Racqel whispered in reply.

Leonardo was next to take the photo, interrupting the conversation between the two. "So what made you decide to pull all this out?" He inquired while looking at it.

"Well all those talks me and Racqel had got me thinkin'." Casey answered.

"Dat's never good." Raphael joshed.

"I'll ignore dat." Casey retorted. "Anyway, when Racqel was tellin' me how I looked like a couple people she knew and dat she remember her father bein' a wizard, sumpthin' in my brain started tickin'. My stupid brother was a wizard. I also remember him send ma letters about how he had kids and sendin' progress reports on dem. She glanced dem over, but never really cared. Ma's kinda old fashion, so she was pretty disappointed dat he had kids out of wedlock. She thought she raised us better, but I guess not."

"Well, papa really didn't have kids out of wedlock." Racqel told him and Casey looked at her with confusion along with everyone other than Don. "It's a long story that I'll explain at a later time."

"Uh…yeah." Casey shook his head. "Anyway, dis picture and a letter was da last thing my good-fer-nothing brother sent ma. After givin' da picture a quick glance over, she threw it in the trash. I decided to take it only cause da picture could do dis really cool trick."

"What kind of trick could a photograph do?" Donatello asked before looking down at the shot. "What the…?" He held it out Casey. "There nothing here but a chair."

"Oh, don't worry." The black-haired man replied. "Every once and a while dey leave da picture." He took the photo from Don. "See, here dey come now."

Everyone looked at the photograph to see the man come back, dragging his feet due to the two older boys hanging on them. The two younger children were on each of his shoulders. If the shot had sound, then everyone would be able hear the children giggling and the man laughing. They would be able to hear the children on his shoulders squeal when he blew raspberries into their side or boys giggle even hard when he kicked his legs up high after every few steps. Once the man went around the chair a couple of times, he sat back down and everyone went back to their original positions.

"Oh man, that's just like her poster." Michelangelo chuckled.

"Hey look!" Leonardo exclaimed when more happened.

Back in the photo, two falcons came flying in and perched themselves on the back of the man's chair. Because the photo was black and white, there was no way to tell the two birds apart. At the left side of the shot, a black kitten entered by jumping on to the boy there before jumping onto the girl's lap. On the right side of the photo a black puppy waddled in and the elder boy picked it up to put in the youngest boy's lap. Next to enter was a white puppy that came in from the right side of the shot, went behind the chair, under it, and over to the middle-age boy. The last to enter the photo was a white kitten, which jumped onto the eldest boy's head and started to pat his nose.

Things didn't stop there. Just as everyone started to get settled, the little girl straightens. She jumped off the man's leg and runs out of the photo. She came back a second later with a flute in her hands. When the man leaned over to pick her up, the boy on his other leg jumps off and runs out. He came back a moment later with a trumpet. The man heaved a heavy sigh before leaning over to pick the child up and put him back on his lap with his sister. Once the little boy was settled, the other shorthaired boy runs off. After he came back, wearing a child size guitar on his back, the eldest boy realized he needed something and runs out of the shot. He came back holding a bow in his right hand and a violin bouncing on his left shoulder.

Once the boy stood where he once was, he put the violin under his chin and put his left hand on top of his head; the bow pointed down from his hand, pasted the back of his shoulder. The middle boy brought his guitar from behind to the front of him. The little girl held her flute at a diagonal angle; the end of it pressed into her left leg while the top of it went past her right ear. The last little boy put the bell of the trumpet on his right leg and rested his right hand on the loop near the mouthpiece. Now that everyone was in a pose, they all became as still as a picture was suppose to be.

"Is that it Mr. Jones." Master Splinter asked.

Casey nodded. "Yep."

Racqel flashed the young man a big smile. "Cool." Then she suddenly grabbed one of his arms with both hands. "Now you said the picture came with a letter." The young girl started to tug on the arm eagerly. "What did it talk about? Can it tell me when the picture was taken? I mean it had to have been taken before papa dumping Jason and me, but I want to know how long he thought about doing that. And the pets, can it tell me what their names are? Could it tell me what the names of my brothers are?"

"Don't you know the names of your own brothers?" Michelangelo asked.

Racqel spun around to face Mike. "I haven't seen or talked to my brothers in over ten years." The young girl semi snapped. "I…I haven't even talked of them to anyone or heard anything about them. You can't remember a person's name if you don't say it every once and a while." She turned back to Casey. "Now tell me you have the letter. Let me see it, please?"

"Alright, alright." Casey reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded up piece of paper.

Racqel grabbed the piece of writing from him and unfolds. The paper was wrinkled and littered with water stains. "Where did you keep this thing?" The young girl asked as she held the letter up to her uncle.

"Hey, I was young den." Casey replied defensively. "I didn't have any kind of filin' system. Besides, like I told ya before, I only wanted ta keep da picture."

"Yeah, and you kept dat real well too." Raphael lifted the young man's hand. "Seen da back lately?"

Casey flipped the photo over to look at the back. There was writing, but it was all smeared and running together. "Oh, yeah. I got dis stuff out an old shoebox dat got rained on when my build had hole in da ceilin' a couple years ago. I was actually goin' ta get rid of it, but I fergot ta."

"Guess I should count my blessing that you didn't." Racqel told him as she looked back at the letter. "Through it's just my luck that all the water stains happen to cover up the names of everybody."

'_(Date smudge) Dear ma,_

_As always, after all birthdays have concluded, I am sending you the yearly update of how the children are doing. I really wish you would send some kind of word in response to my letters. Any parent advice on raising children, anything you want to say to them, or at least to tell me how you feel. I know that you and little brother hate me, but please don't let that hate be the reason you keep from accepting the children into your hearts. They have done you no wrong and do not deserve such cold treatment._

_Anyway, back to the report. As you must have seen, I have sent you a picture of all of us. Upon my lap is little … and …, they are now five years old. Both have obtained their animal familiars and love them dearly. Also, the twins have started their musical training in the instruments of their own choosing. Just like … and …, they both have taken to playing with such ease and grace. I really have to send you a tape of their playing. Alone they are good, but together they are great. I do believe that if they keep up the passion and practice they will someday become grand, perhaps they will become candidates for Julliard._

_Can't you picture it ma? Not only will there be more Jones going to college, but also possibly attending one of the most elite colleges around. What do you think ma? Does that not make you happy?_

_Of course, if the children do not wish to continue their musical training or do not wish to attend Julliard, I will not force them. After all, they are young and still have a full life ahead of them. There will be plenty of time to discover who they are and what they would like to become._

_Speaking of discovering who they are, the twins are starting to become one. This is something I am trying very much to discourage. It is nice that they have such a strong bond, but they really need to understand that they also must have identities of their own. Tell me ma, am I right to discouraging this at such an early age?_

_Moving on, … is still acting like the protective big brother he is. Though he is only eight years of age, he sometimes acts like he's older than that. As always, he is the first to jump between the dangers and the younger children without thinking. I fear that if he does not use proper common sense, he will gain great injuries. Should I really worry like that ma? Perhaps I should just leave that question up to his great grandpa. After all, he is the one training all the children._

_I know what you're thinking ma. You're thinking that I'm dumping the children on him, but I'm not. We both work together to feed, house, and care for them all. We both share equal time with the children. And I'm not talking about teaching them things that they should know, need to know, or what we want them to know. I play with them as much as I can and as much as they want to._

_I know I've told you this before, but the children really love the park. And the older they're getting, the quicker they are. It's getting harder to keep up with them when they want to go their separate ways. Tell me, was Arnold and I like that when you took us to the park?_

_By the way, I have to tell you that my little ward is getting to be quite the handful. He knows that I am not his father, so he thinks that he can get away with whatever he wants. That little boy is really testing the limits of my patience. Really, he'll only mind three people well. Hong Lee, because he is the young boy's master in training; …, because he is the eldest out of all the children; and …, because he seems to have a crush on her. I know that he's a little young to be falling in love, but I tell you he is ma. And I do believe that she may have a crush on him too._

_You know ma, I really want to bring the children around to visit you and Arnold some day. Of course I will wait for when the two of you are ready. But I hope you do not take too long, because I fear something. See Master Hong Lee was talking about doing something with the children that I don't think is right. He wants to…._'

The rest of letter was unreadable due to the writing being too runny and there was a large water stain.

"Who is Arnold?" Michelangelo asked.

Casey's face got a little screwed up in a disgusted way. "Dat's...my first name." He mumbled.

"Yer first name ain't Casey?" Raphael exclaimed.

"Casey is my middle name. I took it cause I hated my first name." Casey replied. "Da only people who call me by my real first name is my ma and stupid brother."

"Speaking of your brother, except for all those 'ma's he sounds nothing like you." Donatello pointed out. "He seems to be quite intelligent."

"Meh." Casey grunted.

"So grandma…" Racqel looked up from the letter at Casey. "I can call her that right?"

"Well she is my ma and yer my niece." Casey answered. "Of course you can call her dat."

"Don't ferget da fact dat yer brother is yer ma's son and Racqel's father." Raphael pointed out.

"Bah." Casey snorted.

"Why do you and grandma hate papa so much?" Racqel asked.

"Ok, as yer guardian I'm gonna set my first rule up for ya ." Casey said sternly.

"A rule?" Racqel cocked an eyebrow.

"Yeah." Casey nodded. "Da rule is dat yer never ta refer ta yer father as yer father."

"Why not?" Racqel asked.

"Because dat man is not yer father?" Casey told her.

Racqel looked confused. "What?"

"Ya heard me." Casey snapped. "I know dat da man gave ya life, but dat's not what makes him a father." Casey snapped. "A father don't go around abandon his kid and a kid dat ain't his."

"But you can't expect me to just turn my back on him." Racqel replied.

"Why not?" Casey asked. "He turned his back on ya. If I remember correctly, ya said dat he dumped ya and yer friend onta yer great grandfather."

"Yeah well…but unlike you, I can't seem to turn my back on family." Racqel told him.

"And just what is dat suppose ta mean young lady?" Casey asked angrily.

"Whenever you're about to mention him as your brother, you insult him first." Racqel pointed out. "And grandma never replied to any of the letter he sent."

"I told ya before." Casey responded sternly. "Ma wasn't too happy dat he had kids out of wedlock."

"And I told you that he really didn't." Racqel informed him.

"Well, we didn't know dat den." Casey replied.

"So if she did, would she have replied?" Racqel asked.

"No." Casey answered flatly. "Of course not."

"Why?" Racqel's eyes grew big and wide. "Didn't she ever want to meet us? Didn't…didn't you ever want to meet us?"

"Uh…" Casey gulped hard. "I guess I would have liked ta have met my niece and nephews. And maybe ma would have liked to meet you guys too. But ya have ta understand dat it weren't you guys dat we disliked. I mean, we didn't even know ya."

"Yeah and you guys couldn't get to know us, because you hated papa so much." Racqel retorted. "Why? Tell me, why?"

"I told ya, dat man is not yer father." Casey practically yelled. "Ya want a father? My dad was a father. He would have never abandoned his family fer nuthin'."

Racqel crossed her arms. "Fine." She sighed. "Then how about telling me what his name is? The least I could do is call him by that."

"I don't remember what his name was." Casey answered. "I fergotten it on the account that I've been callin' him sumpthin' else fer so long."

"What did ya use ta call him?" Raphael asked.

"Snivellus." Casey replied insensitively.

"I'm not going to call him that!" Racqel snapped. "Sure the guy dumped me and I should dislike him for doing so, but nobody deserves to be given a bad nicknamed."

"He deserved it, fit him perfectly." Casey told his niece sternly. "Da guy was a wimpy, snivelin' coward who couldn't stand up fer nuthin'. Dad always wondered if somehow he got da wrong kid or sumpthin' from da hospital." The young man flexed one of his arms to show how large the muscles in it were. "See dis? All Jones men are suppose ta have arms like dis, but mine are nuthin' compared to the giant arms my dad had." Casey gave his arm a couple pats. "It takes a lot of hard work ta build up arms like dis, but Snivellus wouldn't have nuthin' ta do with workin' out or learnin' sports. He rather be readin' books."

"So pa…I mean, that guy, wasn't strong. Big deal." Racqel flexed one of her arms. "I don't have big arm muscles. I don't try to build them up to be real big. And I read books whenever I get the chance to." She dropped the arm down so she could put her hands on her hips. "Are you going to suddenly hate me too?"

"No, of course not." Casey said as he dropped his arm. "But I also said that it's the Jones men that are suppose ta have muscles."

"Oh I see. So things are different for me cause I'm a girl?" Racqel crossed her arms in front of her. "Don't need to be strong or anything, huh?" She turned her back on him. "I suppose that you would hate my brothers if they were small armed and read books too."

Casey made a timeout side with his hands. "Whoa, now just wait a minute. Back things up a bit. Why are ya so suddenly angry with me?"

"Gee, I dunno know." Racqel spun around to face her uncle again. "Maybe it's because you want me calling _my father_ a very bad name." She emphasized the term 'my father', knowing this would get on her uncle's nerves. "Or maybe it's you not wanting to get to know my brothers and me, because you don't like _my father_. Perhaps it's because you haven't given me any reason, good or bad, as to why you hate _my father_."

"I hate yer father cause he left us when we coulda needed him most!" Casey practically screamed in his niece's face. "Ya think yer the only one he's abandon? Well let me tell ya sumpthin' little girl, yer not. And I don't appreciate ya layin' a guilt trip like dis on me."

"You know something? I'm sorry I ever found out that you are my uncle." Racqel yelled back. "I liked you better when you weren't."

"Gee, I don't know what I was ever thinkin'." Casey barked. "I thought it would great ta know dat I have niece. But since she don't want me, maybe I don't want her either."

The two people arguing with each other surprised both Splinter and the turtles. At one moment they were watching the humans being happy to find out they were related and now they trying to bite each other's heads off.

"Guys!" Leonardo stepped between Casey and Racqel. "Chill out before you start saying things that'll really hurt." He tried to push them apart.

Racqel totally ignored what the blue clad turtle said and pushed him out of the way. "Look who's pulling a guilt trip on who!" She snapped. "You want a guilt trip? How about this? Better to get dumped after only caring about someone for a couple months, rather than later after a couple of years when I would have really cared. That way it just hurts, not deeply wounds." The last sentence came out sounding venomous.

A corner of Casey's mouth curled. "You're just like yer father. Actin' all high and mighty." He sneered.

"And you're just like your brother." Racqel countered. "Abandoning people cause you suddenly don't like them."

"Why ya spoiled little brat." Casey growled. "Maybe yer attitude is why my brother dumped ya in the first place."

A chorus of 'D'ohs' come from the turtles and seeing them cringe from that last sentence made the young man realized that he had just stepped over the line from being mad to being cruel.

Racqel was taken back by what was just said to her. She glared at the black haired man with tears welling up in her eyes, nose scrunched up, and baring her teeth a little. "Please Uncle Casey, don't hold back. (Sniff) Tell me how you really feel." The young girl said curtly and sarcastically.

"Man dat was harsh Case." Raphael commented. "I know she's made ya mad and she was bein' rude, but what ya said would have been the last thing I would've said."

Leonardo shook his head. "This was what I meant about someone getting hurt." He gave a sigh while raising his arms in a shrugging kind of way.

"Aw man…" Casey put a hand on his head. "Racqel…I didn't…"

The young girl put a hand up to stop him. "I already despise my supposed 'grandfather', dislike my father, and I have two brothers out there that I don't know or barely remember." She turned her back on everyone with her arms crossed. "(Sniff) The last thing I need is to suddenly have an uncle making me feel rejected." Grabbing her right sleeve with her left hand, Racqel flicked a tear from her eye with the finger of her other hand. "I'm would like…just once…to have a family member who I know and won't hurt me." She turned her head to look at Don. "Is that too much to ask?"

Donatello shook his head. "Nah." He offered the young girl a tissue with one hand and rubbed her back with the other. "Here." Racqel gently took the tissue from him and dabbed her eyes with it.

Casey took a step towards Racqel. "Look, I really didn't mean what I said." Hearing him come, the young girl took a retreating step towards Don. "Honest, I really didn't." He heaved a deep sigh. "But I also didn't really appreciate how ya were actin' tawards me."

"If you just told me off the bat why you didn't like father, maybe I wouldn't have gotten so angry." Racqel's voice was a little cracked. "It was hard, you know? Having you come in here talking trash about a man I hardly know…or even remember." She turned around to face her uncle, but made no move to go near him. "I mean, how would you feel if someone just started calling Grandpa Jones, your dad, names or insult him without any reason as to why?"

"Point taken." Casey replied.

"And it also hurt to find out that you, my only uncle, and my only living grandmother wouldn't come meet my brothers and me, because you hated father." Racqel added. "Right now I can't help feeling that if you and grandma knew us, maybe things wouldn't have turned out the way they did. Maybe…maybe things would have turned out different, for the better perhaps. (Sigh) I don't know."

"Racqel…I'm sorry. I didn't mean ta make ya feel bad." Casey told the young girl. "Really, I'm happy ta know dat I have a niece." He took in a deep breath. "And if it makes you feel better, I'll take back that rule I gave you about your dad."

"It…would…thank you." Racqel gave her uncle a small smile. "And…I'm sorry too. I didn't mean put such a guilt trip on you." She gave her eyes a quick wipe with the tissue. "Really, I'm glad to know that I have an uncle. To have another person I can turn to, a family member."

Raphael put a hand on his stomach. "If dis gets any sappier, I'll have ta go make a date with da porcelain throne." He made a disgusted face and stuck out his tongue.

* * *

_A/N2: Well as you can see, Casey really hates his older brother. Next chapter will go into more detail as to why.  
_

_As I have given quite a few hints on Racqel's father, it is probably enough to have a few of you get a good idea of who he is.  
_

_Anyway, thank for reading, until next time._


	15. One Sided Story

__

A/N: Ugh, I finally got another chapter outta my head. I guess that I should warn you that this particular chapter is going to be littered with bad grammer. Why? Cause Casey will be talking throughout most of it.

* * *

**One Sided Story**

"Well now that all the drama is over with, how about we get comfortable so Casey can tell us all about his brother?" Leonardo suggested.

Everyone agreed to the idea and moved over to the T.V. area. Splinter took his usual seat in his armchair, Leo kneeling next to it. Mike plopped down into his beach chair as Don, Racqel, and Casey sat on the couch. Raph leaned on the arm of the couch that was next to his vigilant friend.

The dark haired man took a deep breath. "Ok, I have to confess sumpthin'. See I really do remember what my brother's name is, it's just dat it was kinda forbidden ta be said around my house."

"So what is it?" Racqel asked eagerly.

"His name is Severus." Casey answered. "He was one of dem child prodigy geniuses. Could read when he was only five years old.

Anyway, my brother is seven years older den I am, so dat makes him da oldest child in da family. Bein' oldest meant dat Severus had all these responsibilities ta bear. Things like keepin' da Jones's name goin' and dat all da traditions were passed down ta da next generation of men.

But da most important role my brother had, dis major role he was ta play, was bein' 'man of da house' whenever dad had ta go out on business trips for da store. And in bein' 'man of da house' meant dat my brother had ta be strong so he could protect da family from whatever dangers may come.

Sadly, Severus preferred ta readin' and study, rather den work out ta build muscle. Dat decision pissed my dad off ta no end. I mean, my brother disregarded da first two Jones's traditions without even considering my father's feelings. Da first one was joinin' 'Little League' at six and den addin' 'Mini Football' at seven.

So in tryin' ta get my brother ta wanna becomin' a man, my dad dragged Severus ta games and other manly stuff. But dat snobby brother of mine brought his books with him ta read. So den dad tried forbiddin' my brother from bringin' books, but Severus would hide one and sneak off ta da bathroom ta read it. Once my father realized dat he couldn't change my brother, he gave up.

When I was born, dad saw it as a second chance ta try and make a man in da family. Before I was barely turned two, I was taken ta all kinds of games. Severus was brought along in the hopes dat I would rub off on him and he would change, but he didn't. He just kept brin' his books ta read.

Luckily it turned out dat I loved goin' and watchin' games. Dis made my dad very happy. So from den on, when we went ta games, I got all da attention from my dad and my brother was ignored. (Heh) One time we got a call from da hockey stadium, tellin' us dat we fergot my brother der and we had ta come back ta get him."

"Geez, that doesn't seem very fair." Michelangelo commented. "Choosing one child over the other."

"Maybe that's why your brother left the family." Leonardo suggested. "Was probably tired of being treated so badly."

"Oh Severus got a taste of what it was like to be the center of attention fer awhile." Casey replied coolly. "See, der was sumpthin' weird about my brother. I mean, strange things happened around him from time ta time. Things would sometimes fly around da room or light bulbs would explode when he got really mad.

Der was no explanation as ta how Severus could do dis until his eleventh birthday. An owl came with a letter sayin' he was a wizard. It also said dat he was accepted ta go ta dis school out in London dat would teach him how ta use his magical abilities and other things associated with bein' a wizard.

Seein' as travel was paid fer, der was no tuition, and da cost fer books weren't much in da beginning, dad had no qualms about sendin' my brother. In fact dad was quite glad ta send him, cause it got rid of him fer nine months out of da year. He worried dat Severus would be a bad influence on me. Worried dat I might change inta bein' a weak little bookworm too."

Racqel cleared her throat while giving her uncle a weary look. The black haired man gave her a half-hearted look of apology in reply. The young girl rolled her eyes and motioned him to continue with his story.

"After da first year of him goin' ta Wizardin' school, Severus came back speakin'…speakin'...um…" Casey's face screwed up as he tried to think of the word he was looking for.

"Proper English?" Donatello questioned.

"Yeah…" Casey gave a small snort. "Except it wasn't regular English. His speakin' was all rude and stiff. Made him even more of an outsider ta da family den he already was. He even had an accent dat we didn't even knew he could have.

And not only did Severus's speakin' change, but so did his attitude. He became a bit cold, stand offish. And he spoke less ta me and dad. Course, I don't think it helped dat dad and me made fun of the new way my brother talked."

"Yeah…teasing doesn't usual encourage people to wanna share words." Racqel commented.

"I suppose…" Casey gave his chin a quick scratch. "But when he was home, he would never go outside ta hang out with other kids. He would just keep his nose buried deep in his books and studies, or he would hang out at da library fer hours.

Anyway, halfway through Severus's third year away from home, Purple Dragons started tryin' ta hit our store up fer protectin' money. When dey came around da first time, dad told dem where ta shove it.

A week later, after midnight, a rock came sailin' through our window inta our apartment dat was above da store. Dad snatched up a bat and ran down ta give da thrower a good whackin'. I followed after him down da stairs and saw da damage those dragons did ta da shop.

Da front door was jimmied open and all da merchandise was destroyed. Da last thing ta be broken was our giant display window dat had da name of da shop on it. Hun had thrown a crowbar through it and da bar barely missed my dad's head by an inch. Before leavin' da jerk said it would be cheaper if we paid dem rather den payin' ta replace everthin'.

Even with da money from da insurance dat was on da store, dad still had to put in quite a bit ta get everythin' back da way it was. Makin' ends meet was tough fer the next couple of weeks, but eventually da store put us back in da pink. When it did, da Purple Dragons showed up again with der hands out fer protection money.

Dis time dad paid those punks off. I mean, what could he do? He couldn't afford another attack on da store and he couldn't take da Purple Dragons on by himself. Sure ma was strong, but her material instincts were stronger. If sumpthin' were ta happen ta both of dem, who would take care of me and Severus? I wanted ta help fight the dragons, but I was six at the time and dat wasn't old enough ta be much help.

When Severus came home fer his three months of summer vacation, he was told dat he couldn't go back ta school. Shock at da fact he couldn't go, he asked why. Dad told him dat he couldn't afford da books Severus would need cause he had ta pay off da Purple Dragons and we were still recoverin' from da destruction da shop had suffered.

Den it suddenly dawned on my dad dat my brother could use his magic on da Purple Dragons. He could cast a curse, put a spell, or do sumpthin' to dem dat would make those dragons think twice about trashin' our store again.

But when my dad told Severus dat he wanted my brother ta fight da Purple Dragons with his magic, Severus had da nerve ta tell him 'no'. Said he couldn't perform magic outside of school cause he was underage. If he used magic outta school dey would break his wand and he couldn't be a wizard any more. Hearin' excuses like dat made my dad royally mad."

"But it's true." Racqel told her uncle. "Underage witches and wizards lose their wands if they perform magic outside their schools. The only time they can use magic without penalty is in extreme emergencies. Like if their lives were in danger or something close to it."

"Savin' our store doesn't count as an extreme emergency?" Casey asked.

"The magic community feels that young witches and wizards would not use common sense. Magic users have to keep a low profile so as not to spook muggles, non-magic users." Racqel replied. "There are some muggles who find magic users bad and dangerous. Take the 1700's, all those witch trials and deaths just because someone was scared."

"Still, if yer father really cared about his family he would have been willin' ta lose his wand." Casey countered.

"But if being a wizard is all he is, all he can be, then it would have been impossible to give up." Racqel argued.

"But bein' der fer family should have been more important den bein' what he wants ta be." Casey pointed out.

Racqel fell silent.

Casey continued on with his story. "Well Dad gave my brother an ultimatum, 'Take care of da Purple Dragons or leave.' So Severus agreed ta takin' care of da Purple Dragons if he could go back ta Wizardin' school.

Dad started ta get mad dat my brother would only help if he got sumpthin' in return. But Severus was quick ta tell my father dat if he went back ta school, he would learn even more powerful spells den da ones he already knew. Thus givin' da Purple Dragons an even harder time. After hearin' dat, my dad accepted da deal without another argument and Purple Dragon problem was solved fer da moment."

"But if it's forbidden for him to use magic outside of school, how was it your brother was able to go back?" Donatello questioned.

"Because my brother never used magic on those jerks." Casey answered with a bit of a growl. "He was payin' dem off with money he had from a job he took up at da school and hid da fact he was payin' dem.

Dad found out what Severus was doin' dis when a Purple Dragon came ta da store sayin' we were short on our last payment. Turns out dat after my brother sent in da payment, da dragons decided ta raise da price."

"When was this?" Master Splinter asked.

"Near da end of Severus's fifth year in school." Casey replied. "Dad was livid with da fact dat da Purple Dragons were not taken care of like dey were suppose ta be. When Severus came home my father just laid right inta him, yelled at my brother fer hours. I think he went all day and inta da night. Den when he was done, my dad told my brother he was ta take care of those dragons once and fer all.

In return, my brother asked dad if he could continue to pay off the dragons fer two more years. He said dat he was makin' enough to able ta do so. And if he finish school den he could really take on those jerks.

Dad got mad. He demanded dat my brother decide which was more important, family or studies. Severus said he wanted to chose both, but both wasn't an option."

"Why couldn't papa choose both?" Racqel asked. "It couldn't be so bad to continue paying off the Purple Dragons for two more years if it meant being able to really give it to them."

"Because da situation wouldn't allow it." Casey retorted. "He had ta choose between standin' up fer what was right or gettin' what he wanted."

"I take it dis time he chose to go with what he wanted." Raphael guessed.

"When dad told Severus he couldn't chose both, they both really got inta it." Casey answered. "They yelled at each other fer hours. They were still fightin' when ma and I went ta bed. So we didn't know how da fight ended, just the results.

Da next day, Severus was gone and so was all his stuff. It looked like he was never comin' back. When asked what happened, dad said dat he told Severus ta choose where he stood by morning. Seeing as my brother was not here anymore must mean dat he chose ta be a wizard over bein' a Jones. From den on, my brother and his existence was forbidden ta be mention in da house again.

A week later da Purple Dragons came lookin' fer der money. Though der hadn't been any mention of my brother, dad was still angry with him. So when da messenger dragon insisted on seein' some green, my dad just hauled out and punched him. Didn't hurt da guy too badly, just socked him hard enough ta leave an impression in da cheek and told him dat dey will never see another penny from da Jones's store again.

Dat night a group of Purple Dragons, led by Hun, came ta da store and trashed it before settin' da whole place on fire. I was da first ta get outta da store, cause I was chasin' after those punks. When I got out der, Hun was ready fer me. He grabbed me by my shirtfront and lifted me high enough fer us to look at each other in da eye. Den he told me dat dis was a message ta my dad da nobody messes with the Purple Dragons and gets away with it.

Filled with angry and seizin' da opportunity, I kicked Hun in da chin. Dat pissed him off so much da he threw me inta a lamppost. While I was dazed from the impact, da other Purple Dragons kicked the crap outta me so much dat I blacked out.

I woke up in a hospital days later hearin' doctors tellin' ma dat I was lucky dat I wasn't gonna suffer any brain damage. After dat ma told me dat dad was able ta get her outta shop, but not himself."

There was a small moment of silence before anyone dared to speak.

"But…but you can't really blame this on papa, can you?" Racqel asked timidly. "I mean, if Grandpa Jones waited two more years, papa would have been able to really take care of those Purple Dragons and maybe all that wouldn't have happened."

"And if yer father stood up ta da dragaons like he was suppose ta, maybe dis wouldn't have happen." Casey pointed out angrily. "Dat is what I hate most about yer father. Dat he chose over da family."

"No offense, but it all really sounds like Grandpa Jones was worried about pride." Racqel replied coolly. "He didn't like the fact that the Purple Dragons were being paid off, whether it was him or papa."

"And just what is wrong with pride?" Casey asked. "When pride is all ya got, den pride is what is worth fightin' fer."

"Not if it's gonna get you killed." Racqel countered.

"Why are you standing up fer dis guy anyway?" Casey asked angrily. "I mean, he dumped you."

Racqel opened her mouth. "I…" But stopped for a moment. "I dunno." She answered quietly. "I just wanna find excuses for the reason why he is the way he is."

"Well yer father don't deserve dat kind of respect from ya." Casey told his niece.

"Hey, what happen after the fire?" Michelangelo asked, worried that things were going to turn suddenly sappy.

"Well, my dad had life insurance and da store still had its insurance. Between da both, der was enough ta pay off my hospital bills, dad's funeral, and barely enough ta afford a dinky little apartment fer ma and me. Ma wanted ta be away from da store, away from the painful memories it had.

After we were settled, ma had ta go from one stinkin' job ta da next. Just so we could afford ta have a roof over our heads and sumpthin' ta eat. Eventually ma finally landed a job dat she liked and didn't dump her after a few months."

"So…when did he tried to get in touch with you and grandma?" Racqel asked.

Casey heaved an angry sigh. "It was like a year after he got outta dat stupid Wizardin' school, dat would be three years after da store burnt down. Just one day, durin' da summer, my brother showed up on our doorstep all dressed up in a black suit and lab coat.

At first ma was kinda happy ta see him, but den she just laid right inta him. Yelled about how he had da nerve ta just show up on her doorstep without any word after three years. Dat he didn't show up fer dad's funeral, or visit me while I was in da hospital, or come back ta do his manly duty like he should.

Without missin' a beat, my brother went inta braggin' mode. Told her dat he came back ta America ta go ta some fancy university dat he got a scholarship fer and dat he also been accepted ta intern at some bigwig place near der. Of course dis made ma go from just bein' mad ta bein' pissed off. She practically bellowed at him when she talked about his duties ta da family.

Den Severus argued dat if he went ta college and graduate, he would be able ta go from internin' ta actually gettin' a good job. And with dat money, he could move us all inta some fancy house out in da suburbs or rebuild our store.

Well dis didn't calm ma down a bit. She went inta how it would be futile ta rebuild da store if da Purple Dragons were just gonna come around ta bully us inta payin' fer der protection.

Severus countered dat he'd take care of dem fer good with no delayin' and no excuse. Dat dis time he was really gonna protect da store with all his power. But ma shook her head at my brother and told him ta leave, because she was tired of arguin' with him.

Severus was shocked. He asked why she won't agree and she told him dat she doesn't believe he would actually do what he says. Past events and now have taught her dat all my brother will be lookin' out fer, was himself. Dat nobody else would matter ta him. She told him dat goin' through that tragedy once was hard enough, she didn't wanna go through it again.

Insulted that ma turned him down, my brother left without another word. About three days later, da place Severus was suppose ta be internin' at called. Apparently, he put ma down as someone ta contact in case of an emergency. Anyway, dey wanted ta know if we knew where he was, cause he hadn't show up. Of course we didn't know where he was and at da time, thought nothing of it. We figured dat Severus thought da place wasn't good enough fer him anymore and probably moved on ta somewhere else. We didn't think he would have gone suddenly missin' until da university called tellin' us dat my brother never showed up fer either his second year orientation or any of his classes."

"Missing?" Racqel asked. "What happen to him?"

"Dunno." Casey shrugged his shoulders. "It was, like, he just disappeared. And just like when he went ta Wizardin' school, we didn't hear word from him."

"And you didn't go out to look for him?" Racqel questioned.

Casey put up an index finger. "One, I would have ta care ta wanna look fer him." He added his middle finger to the index. "Two, I wouldn't have know where ta start if I wanted ta look fer him." After making his point, Casey put his hand back down. "Besides, der was really nothing ta worry about. Yer father surfaced about two years later."

"He came to visit you and grandma again?" Racqel asked.

"Nope." Casey replied.

"Then how did you know he came reappeared?" Master Splinter asked.

"Cause one of da girls I was datin' in high school had a sister who was his co-worker at da place he was workin' at." Casey answered. "She'd get letters from her sister complainin' about him. Her sister has said dat it's a shame dat a bright minded person like Severus has such a sour attitude. Dat he never got along with anyone, cause he wouldn't try to. He would just work late hours alone so he could keep ta himself. And if dey had any parties, he would never join."

"Why did your brother isolate himself like that?" Michelangelo questioned.

"I dunno." Casey replied. "The girl's sister didn't know, or anybody else. Severus was just like dat. He was even strict about his name. Nobody could call him by his first name or his new last name. Severus demanded that he always be addressed by 'Professor'."

"He changed his last name?" Raphael question.

"Yeah." Casey gave a snort. "He dropped Jones and took up some funky name. It's close ta snake…um…I think it's Snape. But I think snake would suit him better, cause dat's what he kinda was."

"Did he ever visit you and grandma again?" Racqel asked.

"Yeah. Just appeared in front of me at my high school graduation while I was lookin' fer ma when the ceremony was over." Casey answered. "I told him ta leave, ta just leave. Dis was a happy day fer ma and me, we didn't need him comin' around ta runin'.

Den Severus said wanted ta congratulate me for graduatin' and I told him dat I found dat hard ta believe. So den the told me dat he had some other news he wanted ta tell us. Well I told him ta save his braggin' fer someone who cared, cause we were tired of hearin' it. But den he said he had ta talk ta ma and I got mad.

I told him dat he didn't deserve ta talk ta ma, not after disappearin' and not givin' any word as to why or where. Fer seven years he hadn't sent word ta us, not even ta tell if he were ok or not. Poor ma was worried about him and didn't stop worryin' until we got word from my ex-girlfriend's sister. Den, even after dat, he still didn't send any word. I mean, he must have known dat I was datin' a co-worker's sister cause she must have at least tried ta talk ta him. And in knowin' dat we knew he was back, should have sent some kind of word as ta how he was doin' or where he was livin'."

"Why would he bother telling you where he lived?" Racqel asked. "It's not like you were really going to visit or write to him."

"Still, it would have been nice ta know." Casey retorted.

"Maybe that's why he came to visit you and grandma." Racqel suggested. "To tell you everything that's happened to him in the past seven years."

"And to probably tell you that you were an uncle." Donatello added. "If my calculations are correct, the time Casey graduated, his brother should have had all those children."

"I suppose." Casey answered with a sigh. "But I was just so mad with him at da time dat I didn't give him a chance ta say much of anythin'. I just told him ta go and leave us alone."

"Gee, that was nice." Leonardo commented.

"Relax." Casey waved a hand at him. "Just cause I didn't let him talk ta ma den, doesn't mean he didn't stop tryin'. About a week or so later, the letters started comin' in beggin' ta come see us with the children he had. But at dis point, ma just didn't wanna see him. Especial since he changed his last name."

"So when do I get to meet grandma?" Racqel asked her uncle.

"Hmmmm…" Casey rubbed the back of his head. "Not right now, cause ma is off on some trip with one of her clubs. Don't know which one though."

"Awww." Racqel frumped.

"Hey, look at things this way." Donatello put an arm round the young girl's shoulders and pulled her toward him so that her forehead was leaning on his. "At least you have your uncle here." Then he gave her a peck on the cheek.

Racqel gave a soft chuckle. "I suppose you're right." She went to take hold of the hand that was up on her shoulder, but was blocked by her uncle's hand. "Huh?"

"I'm no longer your friend." Casey informed the young girl sternly. "I'm now an adult responsible fer you. And dat means dat anything related ta ya is under investigation." He eyed Don carefully.

"Come on Casey, it's me." Donatello stated. "You've seen me with Racqel lots of times."

"Dat was before she became my niece." Casey picked Don's hand up off Racqel's shoulder. "Now I wanna have a little talk with ya. Startin' with findin' out what yer intentions are with her." The young man strong armed the young turtle off the couch and led him toward the kitchen so they could talk.

"Casey!" Donatello semi-whined while being dragged.

"Be lucky, he could have forbid the relationship." Racqel teased.

"Not funny!" Donatello yelled back just as he was being yanked into the kitchen.

* * *

**Disclaimer:** Severus Snape is a character from Harry Potter, A J.K. Rowling's product.

_A/N2: Severus Snape is in this story (oh my O.O). Yeah, he's my favorite Harry Potter character and he's going to be a bit different in this story...I think. We'll just have to wait until further chapters to see what happens._

_P.S. This chapter was kinda hard to do, cause I had to type like how Casey talk. It got so bad, that at one point all my typing went like that. Not good when you have to turn in a school paper for most of your grade.  
_

_Thanks for reading (and the reviews), until next time._


	16. There's a Hint Somewhere

_A/N: Welp, after a long time (and thanks to being occupied by the holidays) I finally came out with another chapter. Now someone suggest that I have a little fluffyness between Don and Racqel, so here it is...(sorta)_

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**There's a Hint Somewhere**

Donatello thought that tonight was going to be a good one. He and Racqel were on couch watching a great movie on the main big screen television. She was seated with a pillow in her lap and he was laying down with his head upon it. The young girl stroked the brow of the young turtle with the tips of her fingers. All was peaceful, nobody was around to bother them or take over the sets with out permission.

Suddenly, just when the movie was about to hit its climactic point, Racqel jumped up from the couch. "I think I'll go take a shower." She stated calmly.

Donatello, who was thrown to the floor by the young girl's abrupt move, pushed himself up onto his knees. "Wh…what?" He jumped to his feet. "We're in the middle of the movie. How can you think of taking a shower now?"

Rachel gave no answer, just headed straight for her room. A couple minutes later she came out wearing a red terry-cloth bathrobe and carrying a small tub with her bath supplies in it.

Donatello quickly trotted after the young girl while she walked to the bathroom; he wanted an answer to his question. "Why the sudden urge to take a shower?" The purple clad turtle asked firmly.

"Because I want to." Racqel snapped as she yanked open the bathroom door. "And I really don't have to give you any reason as to why." She added crudely before slamming the door behind her.

Donatello threw his arms up in frustration. "I don't believe her." He grunted while stomping back to the T.V. area and flopped down onto the couch. "This is the one time we have the televisions to ourselves and that Casey isn't around to snatch her up." The young turtle propped his feet up onto the coffee table while crossing his arms across his chest. "Since the guy found out he was her uncle, he been comes around to spend so much time with her. I've hardly had a chance to get some alone time with her. Plus this seems to be the one time that everyone else is out…."

Don stopped his rant to think about that last sentence. '_Nobody is around?_' He turned off the T.V. and got off the couch. "Guys?" His voice echoed throughout the lair. "Master?" There was no answer and the only noise was the water from the shower. '_Now where is everybody_?' He wondered.

Then the tech-savvy turtle remembered that everyone went out. Michelangelo was at the arcade, Leonardo was on patrol, Splinter was to visit with April, and Raphael was hanging over Casey's place; that's why the young man wasn't over at the lair.

"What a thing to forget." Donatello chuckled to himself. Then out of the blue the young turtle's mind seized tight on something. He was alone in the lair with his girlfriend, who was in the shower. Maybe…maybe now was his chance to…to….

Without wasting another moment, the purple bandanna-wearing turtle slipped over to the bathroom door. He looked around before reaching for the knob. "Wait, what am I look for? Nobody is here." Donatello muttered before slowly opening the door wide enough to slide his head in.

Looking in the direction of the shower, the young turtle could see the silhouette of water raining down onto Racqel on the curtain. After gulping really hard, he slipped into the bathroom and quietly closed the door behind him.

When Donatello turned around after closing the door, he watched the shower move further away from him; it was like a mile from here to there now. The feeling of pure nervousness built up inside the young turtle as he used his ninja skills to silently make his way over to the shower.

At first it seem like it took him forever to go the first couple of steps. But after he did, Donatello's bandanna unexpectedly untied itself and floated gently to the floor. The young turtle didn't stop to question how or why it did that, he just kept pushing on.

A couple more steps later, Donatello's right elbow guard slid off and was soon followed by his left. His kneepads were the next to come off as he walked on; first the left slid off, quickly followed by the right. And by the time he finally came halfway to his destination, his belt had undone itself.

When taking his next step, Donatello's foot landed on a squeaky rubber duck that just seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. The young turtle squeezed his eyes closed as a loud, long, squeal came from the bath toy. "Thanks a lot Mikey." He said through grit teeth.

Racqel yanked open the shower curtain and stuck her head out to look at Don. "What are you doing in here?" She asked quite irritably.

Suddenly realizing that he was technically 'in the nude', all Donatello could think of doing was to stand in as cool a stance. A lot luck to him, because he was trembling all over. '_You know, since everyone is out and Casey doesn't seem to be coming over anytime soon, maybe we could…you know…_' He thought. Actually it was want he really wanted to say, but couldn't find the nerve to do so.

A smile came onto Racqel's face. "You know, since everyone is out and Casey doesn't seem to be coming over anytime soon, maybe we could…you know…" It was like she was reading his mind. She said everything word for word, even the pauses were there and in the right places.

At first Donatello was stunned. '_Well if the mouth isn't going to say anything, I might a well._' His brain said. '_Yes, I would love to shower with you._'

"Then come on in." Racqel held the curtain open for so that the young turtle could enter behind her. Don stared at her for moment. The young girl was dressed in a red bathing suit with a white rose printed on the front and it's green stem winding around to the back. "Earth to D, ya coming or not?"

The tech-savvy turtle snapped out his stare. "Uh…yeah." As he went to take a step towards the shower, it slid right up to him. "Whoa." He gave Racqel a goofy grin.

"Quit messing around and get in here." Racqel ordered. "You're letting out all the heat."

Donatello gulped hard. "Ok." He slipped into the shower, behind the young girl. She closed the curtain and the shower filled up with white steam.

Racqel ran her hands down her wet hair. "You like what you see?" She asked while going fully under the showerhead, allowing all the water to stream down her body.

Donatello stared at the young girl in front of him. "Y...yes." Her glisten-wet skin mesmerized him.

"Please don't be afraid to touch." Racqel told him.

"S…sure." Donatello placed his hands on her hips.

"You're trembling." Racqel commented. "Are you scared?"

"Just a little nervous. But I have to ask why?

"Why what?"

"Why all this sudden affection?"

"What do you mean? I thought I've shown you how much I love you."

"Well…yes. But I have to admit that I'd never expect you to be this…"

"Are you calling me easy?" Racqel turned around to face him.

"What?" Donatello jumped back and hits his shell against the wall. "No, of course not. It's just that…um…"

"I'm kidding." Racqel laughed and turned to face the showerhead again. "The reason I'm so open to letting you touch me like this, is because it would only be fair. I mean, Jason use to touch me."

"How?" Donatello asked. "How did he…touch you?"

"No, you don't have to be like him." Racqel told the young turtle. "Be yourself. Do what you want to."

"But…but I've never done this before. Please, tell me how he does." Donatello begged. "Tell me how he make you feel…good."

"First of all, he doesn't stand so far away from me." Racqel answered. "That makes me feel…alone."

Donatello moved back towards the young girl and put his hands back on her hips. "How…how is this?"

"Uh-uh." Racqel shook her head. "Embrace me. To hold me at arms length makes me feel…cold."

Donatello stepped forward so he could slide his hands from the young girl's hips to her stomach and clasps them together there. Now the water from the showerhead rained on upon the both of them. "Do…do you feel warm now?" The young turtle asked before he closed his eyes and put his nose into the young girl's wet hair.

"Yes." Racqel sighed. "Don't you?" One of her hands rested on his clasped hands while the other one stroked the side of his right leg with its tips.

"I feel very warm." Donatello followed the smell of brown hair down to her neck and gave it a lick; the water from it tasted sweet. Racqel let out a satisfying sigh, encouraging him to actually suck on it. '_I'm giving my girlfriend a…a hicky. The others will see it and wonder what we were up to. How will we explain ourselves?_'

Like she had seemly done before, Racqel read his mind. "They can't question what they cannot see." She told him.

Donatello was about to question what she meant, when he suddenly got a mouthful of water. That caused him to put a stop to what he was doing and open his eyes. "What the shell?"

Sure Racqel was standing before him, but it didn't look like her. Her skin, her body, her hair was all crystal clear water. Scared, the young turtle released her quick and backed up against the shower wall.

"What's that matter?" The young girl asked as she turned around to face him. "Don't you like what you see?"

"I don't know what I'm seeing." Donatello replied with shock at not being able to see a human face, but rather a liquid one. "You're…you're nothing but water." He stammered.

Racqel brought up her hands up to look at them. "Oh no." She moaned.

"What?" Donatello questioned fearfully.

"My powers..." Racqel whispered as she continued to stare at her hands.

"P…powers?" Donatello questioned.

Racqel looked at him, or at least Don thought she was looking at him. He couldn't tell, because there was hardly any facial expression thanks to her watery face. "They were suppose to be gone by now." The young girl told him. "Donnie help me. Help me get rid of them."

Donatello reached out to take her hands, but his just went through them. "How?" He asked anxiously. "I…I don't even understand what's going on."

"Donnie!" Racqel cried. "Donnie make them go away!" Her voice echoed through out the bathroom. "I'm not supposed to have them anymore. I don't even want them."

"How?" Donatello yelped as he shot straight up. His forehead knocking into the corner of something and it dazed him a bit. "Racqel?" He whispered while blinking, trying to clear his sight.

"She's right behind ya dude." Casey told him. "Ya just knocked a book outta her hands."

Donatello turned around and breathed a sigh of relief. "Racqel, you're…you're you again."

Racqel raised an eyebrow. "Um…I guess I am." Next she cocked her head. "Did you have a nightmare?"

"Yeah." Donatello ran a hand across his forehead to find that it was sweaty. "But I don't remember falling asleep."

"You don't?" Racqel questioned. "About twenty minutes into the movie we were watching, Raph and Casey took over the televisions so they could watch a hockey game. Through we lost the sets, we were too comfortable to move. You liked laying in my lap and I was just happy sitting here. About part way through the game, your eyes fell closed and you started snoozing."

"Hey, what were ya dreamin' about?" Raphael asked his brother. "Ya started talkin' in yer sleep, but we were only getting piece meal. Stuff like, 'Nobodies here' and 'What will da others think'.

At first Donatello's face had turned white when Raph told him he was talking in his sleep, then it turned red when he heard what was said. "Really it's none of your business." He jumped off the couch and grabbed Racqel's hand. "Come on, I'm working on important project and I need your help." The young turtle head for his lab, pulling the young girl with him.

"Geez, yank my arm out of it's socket why don't you." Racqel huffed when they got to the subway car. "What's up? What's bugging you?"

Donatello brought the young girl close to him and lowered his voice down to a whisper. "Did…did…" He looked around the car to see if any was around, ease dropping. "Did you ever take a shower with Jason?"

"What?" Racqel squealed. Don waved his hand for to take down a notch. "What in the seven seas possesses you to ask that kind of a question?" The young turtle was reluctant to say anything. "Wait a minute. The dream you were having…" Don's face turned a crimson red. "Donnie." The young girl breathed.

"What?" Donatello looked insulted. "I'm a teenager with hormones. You can't expect me to not have one of those kind of dreams."

Racqel eyed Don carefully. "Well…I can't tell you what you can or can't dream, but I can tell you this." She furrowed her brows. "You best to keep them to yourself."

"I wouldn't think of telling anyone about them if I ever have another one." Donatello replied with a hand in the air and a hand on his heart.

"Good." Racqel said with a sharp nod before hoping out of the subway car.

"Where are you going?" Donatello asked as she walked away.

Racqel came to an abrupt stop. "Um…"

"Going to take a shower?" Donatello teased. Though he couldn't see her face, he knew it turned a deep shade of red. "Heh."

"I am so double locking the door." Racqel muttered to herself as she walked to her room. "And I'm putting Luna on guard in front of it."

As he went back into his lab, Donatello remembered that he had an important question that had to do with his dream. But after thinking about it awhile the young turtle figured that it was nothing. After all, it was just a dream.

**Next Day, In the Afternoon**

Racqel was out tightrope walking on the cable, except she wasn't wearing the golden ring around her neck. To those who looked up to see her thought it very unusual that she wasn't wearing it.

Now whenever Raphael was passing by one of the pillars the cable was tethered to, he would reach down to grasp the thin wire and give it a couple of good jerks. The young turtle did this to see Racqel stumble. He would never make her fall, but he did enjoy watching her falter. So today was no different from any other, except that part of the cable that was tied to pillar opposite the one Raph was at had weakened to breaking point. All that was need was a couple hard jerks to make it snap…and snap it did.

Before Raphael even knew what had happen, he felt the cable in his hand go lax and Racqel slowly start to sink. In an instant (though it felt like an hour) the young girl was plummeting to the ground.

Looking down, Racqel was disappointed that she would be heading for the bridge rather than the water. With landing in the water, there would a less chance of breaking anything. But because she was heading for the bridge, the young girl decided to lean back and go limp. At least that way, it would minimize any breakage of bones when she makes impact with the wooden walkway.

Of course that would have been the theory…if it weren't for the fact that someone was walking across the bridge at the very moment Racqel was about to hit.

"Look out!" Leonardo shouted when he just happen to look in the direction of the pool.

Suddenly alerted to the fact that someone was underneath her, Racqel flipped over to see that it was Master Splinter. When the young girl was first falling, she was relaxed about it hitting the bridge. But now that there was someone underneath, looking up at her falling towards them, she started to panic.

All four turtles were too far way to rescue their rat master. Raphael was too high up to jump down, Donatello was working his way out of his lab, Michelangelo and Leonardo were over in the television area. Plus Splinter had no time to jump out of the way.

Knowing that there wasn't anything else she could do, Racqel decided to grit her teeth and take the plunge. Besides, though she wished they would never find out, they were going to eventually.

* * *

_A/N2: (Whew) I didn't think I would ever get this out. Hope the dream wasn't too graphic for you all._


	17. A Secret is Revealed

**A Secret is Revealed**

Using all the strength she could muster Racqel managed to stop herself just above Master Splinter. So sudden was the stop, that it looked like she smacked face first into an invisible window. And she was so close to the elder rat's head, that the end of her hair tickled his nose.

Michelangelo slid to a stop and stared. "Wow…" He breathed.

Leonardo continued to run for his rat master. "Sensei, are you ok?" He asked when he got onto the bridge.

"I…am fine my son." Master Splinter answered. "Just a little shock." He watched as the young girl float gently to the ground.

Once the tips of her feet hit the wooden planks of the bridge, Racqel collapsed onto her hands and knees. She then let out a large exhale of air before panting heavily. Obviously the young girl held her breath in fear when she made herself stop.

Donatello jogged over to Racqel and helped her sit up onto her knees. Gently he brushed strands of hair that fell in front of her face. The tips of his fingers picked up a few drops of sweat that covered her forehead. "Are you alright?" The purple clad turtle asked with concern.

"Y…yes." Racqel slowly panted. "It…has been a while…since I had to pull a move…like that."

"What do you mean 'pull a move like that'?" Leonardo questioned.

Racqel bit her lower lip in some reluctance to give an answer, but eventually she did. "I mean…it's been a while since I used my powers."

"And just when were ya gonna tell us about these 'powers' of yer's?" Raphael asked rudely as he walked up to the bridge from the stairs. He was not too happy that the young girl had hid such a secret from them, especially since they were kind enough to let her live with them.

Racqel looked down at the fingers she began to fiddle with them. "I was hoping…never." She answered quietly.

"Never?" Raphael questioned in a voice straining to keep calm. "What do ya mean 'never'?"

"Because…" Racqel pushed her index fingers into an arch form. "Because…"

"Because you didn't want them?" Donatello ventured to ask.

Don's question caught Racqel off-guard and she stopped fiddling with her fingers. Her eyes grew wide, but she didn't look up at anyone. "Well…yeah…um…sort of."

"So why did you not want to tell us?" Master Splinter inquired with a little concern in his voice. He too was a little upset the young girl had made no mention of this throughout the time she's been with them.

"Because they were suppose to be gone by now." Racqel answered with exasperation as she looked up at everyone around her. "I'm not supposed to use these powers, _ever_, if I want to be free of them." She clenched her hands into tight fists. "But things keep happening that make me use them."

Michelangelo came out of his stun state when he heard what Racqel said. He couldn't believe that anyone would want to be rid of such lucky gifts as to be able to fly and any other great stuff she could do. Wanting answers, the orange clad turtle rushed over to the bridge and pushed his way to getting in the girl's face. "Why would you want to get rid of such cool powers?" He inquired with a mixture of shock and surprise.

"Because I'm tired of all the extra baggage that comes with them." Racqel snapped. "They are no blessing and they are no fun to have. What these powers are, are a curse and a burden." She looked down at her clenched fists that were resting on her bent knees. "These powers were why the Shredder went to such lengths to hunt down Jason and myself. Why Jason had to die such a horrible death."

"Jason had powers too?" Donatello questioned.

"He only had one power actually." Racqel answered. "An elemental power."

Master Splinter kneeled down to be leveled with Racqel. "Explain."

"Jason's elemental power is Fire." Racqel told the elder rat. "He is…was…able to produce fire from thin air, like fireballs and walls of flames. He could also manipulate fire that was already there. Like, he could move it where he wanted or make it do things. And he could turn into fire if he wanted to or he could turn other things into fire and they wouldn't metal or burn."

"So your power is telekinesis?" Donatello asked.

"Telekin-what?" Michelangelo questioned.

"Telekinesis Mikey." Donatello corrected. "It's the ability to move things with the mind."

"That is…one of my powers." Racqel told everyone. "Except I can't move anything heavier than me."

"So what are you other powers?" Leonardo inquired.

"I, too, am an elemental user. I am Water." Racqel answered. "I cannot produce it, but I can manipulate it to do as I want or need…sorta." She unclenched her fists and went back to fiddling with her fingers again. "I wasn't as good with my elemental powers as Jason was. I guess its cause I wasn't into disobeying Dye Goonya as Jason, so I didn't try to learn what I could do."

"Do you think your brothers might have powers like Jason and you?" Donatello asked.

"I don't think, I know." Racqel answered. "They have the other elements, but I'm not sure who has what though. Or if they have any extra stuff like me too. I mean, it could be possible that one them might have the same mental powers as I do…I guess."

"The Shredder had a great knowledge in the dark and mystic arts. I think that if he wanted to, he could come up with ninjas that could command the elements." Master Splinter told the young girl. "No offense to you, or your brothers, or to the departed one, but what makes you think he wanted you all."

"Because to this." Racqel pulled out the amulet from under her shirt. "Not only can this jewel do mysteriously mystical things, but it can also combine our power to give anyone who possesses it the control of all elements. With that kind of power think of what the Shredder could have done. Imagine all the combinations he could use with the four elements. Seas of fire, storms of rocks, and I can't think of what would happen if all four elements were combined." Racqel shook her head while she stuffed the amulet back onto shirt. "If you think about it, my brothers, Jason, and myself are nothing more than batteries to a very powerful weapon." This thought caused her to give an angry snort. "Some life."

"So you believe that if you stop using your powers they will go away and the Shredder would no longer be interested in any of you. Is that right?" Master Splinter inquired.

"That is what I believe, because that is what Dye Goonya told me." Racqel told the elder rat.

"But what if he is wrong?" Master Splinter questioned.

"How could you suggest such a thing?" Racqel asked in great shock. "He was my master as well as my great grandfather. There is no way that he would lie to me."

"I'm not saying that he is lying." Master Splinter said as he put up a hand to calm the young girl. "I was merely pointing out that he might be wrong."

"He couldn't be wrong, because he had much knowledge about the amulet." Racqel replied. "He had the amulet longer than I have and was able to learn all its secrets."

"So he knows all about the amulet, but he can't know all about you, or your brothers, or the departed one." Master Splinter pointed out. "How could he be so sure that you would be rid of such a gift just by not using it."

"But that's the point. These powers are not a gift." Racqel retorted. "By accepting them, I am giving up my freedom and my sanity."

"What do you mean that you'd be giving up your sanity?" Donatello inquired with a worried tone.

"Along with telekinesis I am also empathic and psychic." Racqel explained. "My psychic powers make it where there are nights I can't sleep, because I get visions of the painful past or piece meal premonitions. Sometimes, when I have them, there is a slight chance I can figure out why. But if I don't figure it out and something happens, I feel really bad. And it's because I know there was chance that I could have done something to prevent whatever happened." She let out a heavy sigh. "And if that's not bad enough my, empathic powers can make my head so crowded with other people's emotions that I can't concentrate. Sometimes I can block them if they're everyday little stuff, but if they are really strong I can't. And if they get through they sometimes cause me to act them out."

"What do you mean?" Michelangelo asked.

"Like if someone is angry, I mean really angry, then I'll get angry." Racqel explained. "It doesn't matter what it's about or what it's at, I'll just get as angry as the person near me who's giving me that feeling." Out of the corner of her eye Racqel saw Raphael open his mouth. "Don't go there. I'm not playing off Donnie or anyone else's feeling. I really do love him." She told him sternly and the red clad turtle frumped.

"I have to ask this, and I don't know why I didn't earlier, but why do you wear that ring when you do your tightrope exercise?" Donatello asked.

"It's a 'Binding Ring'." Racqel answered while bring up her left hand. On the pinkie was a gold ring. "When I wear it, it binds my telekinetic and elemental powers so I can't use them." She explained as she took off the ring. "I wear it while I do my tightrope exercise so I would be use to not having those powers." With the ring in one hand she tapped it with the other and it grew big enough to go around her head. Once ring was over her head, around her neck, it shrank until could rest comfortable on her neck. "Jason and I had to wear it all the time before Dye Goonya was killed, so we wouldn't use our powers and be rid them in time. But Jason would take his off from time to time so he could explore his powers."

"Makes perfect sense." Master Splinter told her. "You should have done the same."

"I…I couldn't defy Dye Goonya like Jason could." Racqel replied. "Not until after his death, when I needed to use magic, did I take it off." She lowered her eyes. "Maybe if I did explore my powers people would not have died." Racqel began fiddling with the ring, wiggling it up and down. "I figured that now that I lived down here, and the Shredder was no more, I wouldn't have to use my powers anymore."

"When were the times you had to use your powers before living here?" Donatello asked. "When we were hanging out you didn't seem to need to use them."

"I would sometimes have to use them to get away from the Foot. Like the time when I first met you, I use my magic then." Racqel told him.

"I don't remember." Donatello replied.

"When we jumped into the lake." Racqel reminded. "You were so worried about the Foot spotting us that you didn't feel me touch your arm and turned us into water so we could blend in with the lake."

"Really?" Donatello put a finger on his chin to remember that time.

"Then there were the times where I had to save Casey's butt from being kicked by April while he was in her shop." Racqel mentioned. "I would use my telekinesis power to stop antiques from hitting the floor when I wasn't nearby to prevent them from falling. What I would is make it look like they were fall slowly and that I managed to catch them in time. Unfortunately there was one time where I was too far away and he saw a Ming vase hover an inch off the floor for about a couple seconds."

"So Casey knew before we did about da powers ya had." Raphael gave the young girl a glare.

"It's not like he was suppose to know." Racqel said defensively. "I tried to convince him that he was seeing things, but he insisted that I tell him the truth."

"Well this would explain why Casey wasn't so accident prone in April's shop." Michelangelo pointed out.

"After he found out, I swore off using my powers ever again…until I had to run from the Purple Dragons and the Foot from school." Racqel continued.

_Flashback Start_

_Racqel sat in her classroom, staring at the hands of the clock; it was about half past two. 'Can this day drag on any longer?' She wondered as she watched the second hand seemly tick slowly towards the twelve. 'This feels like the world's longest minute.'_

"_Am I boring you, Ms. Racqel?" A gruff voice called._

_Racqel snapped to attention. "N…no Mr. Anderson." She stuttered. "I was…just…um…"_

"_Never mind." The teacher sighed. He looked back down at the book in his hand. "I called on you, because I want you to tell me what the eyes on the billboard seem to signify in our book 'the Great Gatsby'."_

"_Eyes?" Racqel questioned._

"_Didn't you read the book?" Mr. Anderson asked sternly._

"_I tried." Racqel answered innocently. "But it's so boring that I fall asleep after reading a paragraph or so."_

"_I'm sorry you don't like the reading materials Ms. Racqel, but it is part of the curriculum." The teacher told her._

"_Well maybe it shouldn't be.' Racqel replied, a little ruder than she intended. "This book seems to be meant for people in their Junior or Senior year. From a freshman's point of view, the book is very hard to follow."_

"_So you're smart enough to tell me what to teach, yet too stupid to follow a simple book." Mr. Anderson replied angrily._

_(Knock, knock) Two men came through the classroom door. One was Asian and the other was Hispanic; both were dressed like security guards. Nobody in the classroom acted too surprised, but a few of the students did act up. There were shouts of, "They want me" or "Take me officer, I want out of this dump"._

_Mr. Anderson waved a hand to make everyone hush. "Who do you want and for what reason?" He asked the two men._

"_We're here for Ms. Racqel." The Hispanic man said._

"_Ms. Racqel?" The teacher raised an eyebrow. "I admit that she was giving me a bit of lip, but an armed guard to the office?"_

"_You know the rules. All students are to be escorted when class is in session." The Asian man reminded._

_The teacher nodded in acknowledgement. "I know, but this is Ms. Racqel…" Mr. Anderson stated. "The girl barely raises a hand to defend herself, let alone go after anyone else."_

"_We can't take any chance." The Hispanic man said. "Besides, what else do rent-a-cops get to do around here?"_

"_I suppose so." Mr. Anderson sighed. "Will she be gone for the rest of class?"_

"_Yes." The Asian man answered. "Her grandfather is here to pick her up."_

_Racqel was in the process of putting her backpack on when she heard this. "My…grandfather is picking me up?" She questioned._

"_That's right." The Asian man replied. "He's waiting for you in the office. So let's get a move on."_

"_O…k." Slowly the young girl walked out of the classroom with the two men following after her. About halfway down the hall Racqel turned around to face the two men. "Say…um…I have to go to the bathroom…. Bad." She told them. "Can we make a quick detour?"_

_The two men looked at each other. "It wouldn't hurt if we're a little late." The Hispanic man said to his partner._

"_It shouldn't." The Asian man replied._

_Both men nodded to Racqel. "Great, I won't be long. I promised." She dashed for the bathroom and locked the door after she went in._

"_Hey!" The Asian man huffed as soon as he got to the bathroom door._

_The Hispanic man started banging on the door. "Open up!"_

"_Fat chance of that happening." Racqel muttered while taking off her backpack. "Got to get out of here." She reached into the bag._

"_Yo, watch it." Luna's head popped out of the bag._

"_Oops." Racqel eeped. "Sorry."_

_The black cat gave a yawn before saying, "What's going on?"_

"_Grandfather found out that I go here." Racqel replied as she pulled out a large, black velvet, hooded cloak and a red pouch._

"_But that's impossible." Luna exclaimed. "Don said his master destroyed the Shredder."_

"_Well somebody is here claiming he is and the school believes him." Racqel told the black cat. "I just wonder who could have those kind of credentials."_

_Luna hopped up onto a window ledge. "Try them." She said while pointing a paw out._

_Racqel went over to the window and looks out. "Should have known." Out in front of the school was Hun, sitting in a supped up sports car. Other Purple Dragon members were loitering around the car. Racqel shook her head in disappointment. "He would be able to convince the school that my grandfather would want him to pick me up."_

"_Doesn't take much to do that these days." Luna commented._

_Racqel saw Hun jump out of the car and point towards the window while looking elsewhere. "Uh-oh." The young girl gasped. "We better get out of here, quickly." She opened the red pouch. "Oh man. I'm all out of Gloo powder."_

"_Now what?" Luna cried. "Look out!" The black cat jumped into Racqel's arms as the young girl jumped away from the window._

_A handful of Foot ninjas came crashing into the bathroom through the window they were just at._

"_There's another way out of here, but it isn't going to be pretty." Racqel said._

"_Who cares about it being pretty or not, I just want to be alive." Luna stated firmly._

"_Good point." Racqel agreed as she snatched up her cloak. "Well I'd love to stick around." She told the Foot Ninjas. "But I just rather slip through your fingers." The young girl gave a nervous laugh while she backed herself up against a sink. "Tootles."_

_Turning herself and Luna into water, Racqel streamed them both into the sink. Down the drain, maneuvering throughout the pipe system and managing to miss the septic tank, they head for the sewers. _

"_Ok…that was the most disgusting ride I've ever had in my life." Luna complained after they came from a pipe and were returned to natural form. "So now what?"_

"_Well we can't go back to April's for a while...maybe never." Racqel let out a sigh. "The Foot and Dragons know we're down here. So all the exits will be covered."_

"_What about Donatello?" Luna asked. "He lives down here."_

"_But I don't know where?" Racqel answered. "Fury does, but she's with April."_

"_So call him on that phone he gave you." Luna suggested._

"_Oh yeah." Racqel reached into her pocket for the Shell Cell, but heard voices before she could pull it out._

"_Spread out." Hun's voice echoed. "She's gotta be down here. Not far."_

"_First I got to find a safe place to make a call." Racqel whispered as she took off down a random tunnel._

"_There she goes." Someone yelled. "I can hear her running away."_

"_That's me you doofus." Someone else replied._

"_Stop arguing you idiots and find her." Hun ordered._

_Racqel heard footsteps following after her. They weren't close, but they weren't far way either. "Got to get away." She panted._

"_Then leave the running to me." Luna hopped out of the girl's arms and ran in front of her. She slowed down to get between the legs and transformed into a large black tiger. "Hang on." With a burst of speed, the large cat tore down the tunnel._

_Flashback Interrupted_

"Wait a minute." Leonardo made a time-out sign with his hands. "Are you telling us that Luna, your cat, had powers too?"

"I have just the one power of transforming into a large tiger." Luna said while walking on the railing of the bridge. "Can't be a guarding animal without a few tricks up my fur." She jumped onto the blue clad turtle's head. "I can only do so much as a cat, but I can do a bit more as a tiger."

Leonardo reached up and took the black cat off his head. "And why weren't we enlightened about this? What is _your_ reason for not telling us you can do that?"

"None." Luna answered. "It's just that you never asked."

"Right." Raphael blew a raspberry. "We're just gonna go up ta some animal and asked if they can transform inta some furiously large animal."

"But I'm not just some animal." Luna pointed out. "I'm one that can talk. Don't you think that if you ran into an animal that could talk, you'd ask what else it could do?"

"She got a point." Leonardo admitted as he gave the black cat a gentle stroke.

"Oh put a sock in it Leo." Raphael razzed. "So what about da bird? She change inta some giant condor?"

"No." Luna shook her head. "Her strength lies in her speed and ability to be able to find people to deliver messages or get help."

"Can we get back to the story?" Michelangelo asked eagerly. "I want to know what happen next."

_Flashback Continue_

_After a turn here, a turn there, and a few more afterwards, they reach an abandon subway station. "Do you think any trains still come this way?" Racqel asked the black tiger._

"_I don't know." Luna replied._

"_Do you think we're safe?" Racqel inquired._

_Luna sniffed the air. "Maybe…I don't smell anyone yet."_

_Racqel slid off the black tiger's backside. "Then I'm going to call Donnie." She said while pulling out the Shell Cell. Luna turned back into a black cat and hopped onto Racqel's shoulder._

_Just as the young girl finished dialing the number, Luna's ears perked up. "You hear that?"_

"_Unfortunately." Racqel answered before she had a chance to hit the send button. "They're coming. Guess we didn't have as much time as we thought." She stuck the cell back into her pocket as the station filled up with Purple Dragons and Foot Ninjas. "Like we didn't get enough being claustrophobic cramming into the pipes."_

"_But they weren't the sound I was referring to." Luna told the young girl. "Listen." A subway train was rumbling towards them. "I think our ride is here."_

"_All aboard then." Racqel said while she took the black cat off her shoulder._

_A Purple Dragon charged towards the young girl as she jumped into the air. She used his shoulder for leverage to jump onto a nearby pillar and ricochet off it so she would be high enough to land on the top of the subway train as it passed under her._

"_This isn't as easy as it looks." Racqel said while trying to maneuver along the roof._

_Luna yelled to be heard above the noise. "Let's get inside, quickly." _

"_Trying." Racqel told the cat as she continued to slide along the top of the subway car. Once in between two cars she carefully slid down and slipped through a door to get inside. "I can hide out among these people so long as I wear the 'Cloak of Indifference'." The young girl commented while putting on the black cloak._

"_But not for long." Luna pointed out. "It's no 'Cloak of Invincibility'."_

"_Do you know how rare those things are? They're scarcer than then 'Indifference'. No way we could ever obtain something like that."_

"_I know, I know. But our enemies know where we are now. They're going to be at every station in the city. There's no way we can leave now."_

"_So we don't leave. It'll be rush hour people traffic soon. We can hide among them while in the cloak and hop from train to train. If we cross our fingers, this plan might work."_

"_It might…for a while, but we should figure out where we can go from here."_

"_Well we can't go back to April's from here, because that will get her into trouble." Racqel reached into her pocket and brought out her Shell Cell. "I say that after we trade trains a couple of times we call up Donnie for help."_

_Luna nodded her head in agreement. "Now that sounds like a good idea." _

_Flashback Over_

"And you know the rest." Racqel concluded.

"Always wondered how you ended up on the subway." Donatello commented.

Master Splinter put a hand on the young girl's shoulder. "All the times that you have used your powers have proven that you should embrace them rather than run from them."

"But…I know nothing of them." Racqel told him anxiously. "Like I've said before, I tend to suffer from sleepless nights or my head feels so crowd that I can't even think. And I know nothing about how to handle my elemental power. What if I try to do something and lose control? I could injure people or even put lives in danger."

"All the more reason for you to explore these gifts you have." Master Splinter said to her calmly. "Besides, of all the times you have use them in the past have you seen any signs that they might be dangerous? What of Jason? Did anything bad happen with him when he used his powers as he first started out?"

Racqel bit on her lower lip as she thought. "No…" The young girl replied quietly. "There were times when he couldn't control them. Like there was this one time he sneezed and set a bush on fire." She put a finger to her chin and a thoughtful look came onto her face. "But he was always prepared for when he would lose control. He would have plenty of water around for when something bad would happen. And he would try to get me to use my power to put out his mistakes so that I could try my magic out." Racqel ran fingers through her hair in frustration. "But I could never go against Dye Goonya's orders."

"Questions can not be answered if theories are not tried out." Master Splinter told the young girl. "We should at least explore what you can do. Explore them to a point where we find out what the danger is. Once there, then we can determine if they must go."

"Do you really think Dye Goonya could be wrong?" Racqel questioned.

"I think that Master Hong Lee was quick to judge." Master Splinter told her. "I know he was doing what he thought was best for you and that he is a great man. But there were times when he would jump to theories and be too stubborn to change his mind."

Racqel nodded slightly. "Yeah…"

"Come then, take the ring off. Accept what is giving to you so that you may explore it." Master Splinter somewhat ordered.

"Will you help me?" Racqel asked.

"Of course I will." Master Splinter replied. "We can see what you can do and how to control them. Then, perhaps, incorporate it with the skills you have now."

"You mean, like, learn to use these powers as a weapon?" Racqel questioned.

"And as a defense." Master Splinter added.

"Alright…Master Splinter." Racqel pulled on the ring and it stretched like an elastic band. Once it was off it shrank to the size of a pinkie ring. "Whenever you want to start my lessons, I am ready."

* * *

_A/N: Yup, it's the old 'Elemental Weapon' line. But you have to admit, there was more to the Shredder wanting Racqel than just the amulet._


	18. A Revealing Dream

**A Revealing Dream**

Racqel staggered into her room, tired and sore from her head all the way down to her toes. She had been working on learning her 'gifted' abilities for the past couple of weeks. From day in to day out the young girl worked hard at stretching herself to the limit and then beyond it.

Of course Racqel wasn't complaining or anything, because she missed learning new things and she missed pushing herself to always do better. In some ways the young girl felt confident enough to compare herself a little to Leonardo. In fact, she put him as the role model elder brother she never got to know.

With the blue clad turtle's help in training and Master Splinter's rigorous working out, Racqel sensed that she had learned to do more with her powers than she could have ever done on her own. But right at this moment, all the young girl wanted to do was collapse onto her soft bed and sleep for the next six or seven hours. Deep, uninterrupted, comforting sleep while being all curled up in her nice warm blankets.

_Not long after falling asleep Racqel found herself outside and leaning against a lamppost. With her hands in her pockets she looked up at the dim flickering light. The night air had a slight chill to it, but wasn't cold enough to make one shiver. Practically out of nowhere a hand slipped in front of her face and shakes the pack of cigarettes it held until one pops up. Asking no question or giving it any thought, she took the solitary cig between her lips. The hand retreated with the pack and a second later come back with a metal lighter. The top flipped open, letting a flame shoots up tall. Racqel leans her head toward the flame so she could light the cigarette that she let rest limp in her lips._

_The young girl inhales deeply, savoring the taste the cigarette left in her mouth. After letting the smoke lull around she blows it out her nose. Before inhaling deeply again, Racqel takes a hand out of her pocket to grasp the cig between her index finger and thumb. This time, instead of blowing the toxic cloud out of her nose, she let it out of her mouth in the form of smoke rings._

_The hand holding the lighter flicked at the wrist and the top on the lighter snap shut, extinguishing the flame in the process. Then the hand returned to a guy leaning on the post, right next to her, his left shoulder touching her right. He had shoulder length red hair, wore a leather black jacket over a white T-shirt, a pair of black slacks, and snakeskin boots. "Honestly lad." The guy scoffed with an Irish accent. "Ya such a show off." He lit a cigarette he held betwixt his lips._

_Racqel gave her cig a hard tap with her middle finger, knocking off the length of ash that was developing at the end. "What led you to that brilliant conclusion?"_

_The guy whipped the cigarette out of his mouth. "De fact that yer so arrogant." He snapped while giving his cig a quick flick. The chilling wind caught the ash and blew it around them. "Ya think that just cause ya could just waltz through initiation yer all that."_

"_I'm telling you, initiation is too easy. If it doesn't get beefed up, than almost any weakling can get in." Racqel took another deep drag on her cig and slowly lets it out. "Should that happen, the Purple Dragons will start to deteriorate to being nothing more than puny thugs."_

"_Ah, but laddy, we are thugs." The guy retorted. "Ya didn't think ya were gonna join some fancy Fraternity did ya?" He drew in on his cig._

"_No." Racqel snorted. "I thought I was joining an elite group. Something that would challenge me." She put the cigarette into the corner of her mouth. "I'm telling you, I can't wait for tonight's raid to happen. Not only is it promised to be the biggest heist, but it's really going to test me. I just know it will."_

_The guy gave a couple chuckles and puffs of smoke came out with each chuckle. "Yer some lad there Fredrick." He gave Racqel a jab in the ribs._

"_I want to be challenged by my surroundings, not get handicapped before anything happens." Racqel joshed while rubbing her ribs._

"_A good sense of humor, that's what I like about chya." The guy tossed his cigarette out onto the street and it rolled into the gutter. "C'mon, let's get goin'."_

_Racqel also tossed her cig out "Yeah." She stuck her hand back into her pocket as she walked down the street with the guy. After a short while, it started to dawn on her that a bunch of things weren't right._

_For one, when did she know how to smoke or show any interest wanting to learn? As far back as she could remember, Racqel hated even the slightest odor produced by anything giving a toxic fume. The stuff literally made her sick and that amused Jason, because he was the one with the sensitive nose._

_Secondly, when did she join the Purple Dragons? Naturally one would have to ask how she joined them without raising any kind of alarm. It wasn't like she could waltz right in and say, 'I'd like to join, sign me up.' Every one of those Dragons would have been fighting each for a chance to turn her over to Hun. Of course the bigger question would have been, why did she want to join them?_

_Lastly she realized that she had no idea who this guy she was walking with was, even though she acted like she did. Plus who was this Fredrick person and why did this guy call her that?_

_As if some unknown force was listening to her thoughts, an answer came in the form of mirrors displayed in a storefront. Racqel couldn't stop herself from moving, but she could glace at the mirrors out of the corner of her eye and what she saw shocked her. She was not a girl, but a guy. The hair was light brown and cut close to the neck. Her eyes were Caucasian with barely noticeable hint of Asian; it would have taken someone being Chinese to see it. The purple shirt she wore looked like it used to have long sleeves, but they were torn off at the elbows. She also wore a black leather vest, black jeans with holes in the knees, and a pair of black leather work boots._

_Now it all made sense to Racqel. She was having a dream about some guy name Fredrick. But now the question was, why? Why was she having a dream about him and what was so important about him that she need to? Was this her psychic powers or her empathic powers at work?_

_These questions didn't linger long in her head and neither did the abnormalities of everything else, because now her mind was focusing in on the big heist that was going to go down that night. As of right now, all she could think about was the high of breaking into some unexpected computer store during the dead of night. The thrill of the chase as she would have to evade the men in blue while being loaded down with valuable merchandise._

_The thought of it all made her body ache with anticipation. But though her body ached for action, her mind ached with a thought that was developing in the back of it. Something didn't seem right about this heist and it worried her. It was strange that the Purple Dragons wanted to rob a store days after they restock. Usually the Dragons struck right after a new shipment of expensive merchandise was brought in._

"_Ya've been quiet." The guy commented. "What are ya thinkin' about?"_

"_Just adding two and two together." Racqel replied. "But no matter how I do it, I keep getting something other than four."_

"_Thinkin' somethin' hinky is gonna go down do ya, lad?" The guy asked slyly. "Sure it's not butterflies in yer stomach?"_

"_Please." Racqel pashawed. "I ain't nervous. I just have a weird feeling about this heist."_

"_Gut feeling?"_

"_Yeah."_

"_To tell ya the truth, lad, I was havin' the same feelin'."_

"_What do you make of it? Why are we getting this feeling?"_

"_Because we know this group and how they work. If this heist is so great, why rob after the fact?"_

"_So what do you think this is? Some sort of trap?"_

"_More like a weeding."_

"_Weeding?"_

"_Ya haven't been here long. See, what Hun likes to do every once and a while is weed out those he thinks are no longer worthy of the Dragon. What he does is set up a phony heist, clamin' to be big, then set up the 'weaklin's' to be caught by the cops."_

"_Isn't he worried about those guys telling cops about where all the warehouses are?"_

"_Two things. One is that nobody but the high rankin' people know where the real hideouts are and two is that nobody would dare say anythin', because they know Hun's got connections on the inside. Ya speak, yer dead."_

"_How high are you?"_

"_Not high enough."_

"_Then how do you know about all this?"_

"_I know where to keep my ears."_

"_And you're not worried that you might be on the list."_

"_Hey, when Hun tells ya to jump, ya don't argue. Bein' put in jail is better than bein' put six feet under."_

"_Good point."_

"_No worries through lad. I'm sure it ain't us."_

"_How sure?"_

"_Let's put it to ya this way. If you or I are on the list, I know how to keep us from bein' caught and our skin from bein' tan by other Dragons when they discovered we weren't caught."_

"_I knew there was a reason why I wanted to stick with you."_

"_Should I feel flattered or worried?"_

"_Get your mind out of the gutter." Racqel whipped her hand out of her pocket and gave the guy a hard shove. "What is it with people these days? You just can't give a compliment without them thinking something nasty."_

_As the two rounded a corner a voice called out to them. "It's about time you guys got here. Feels like we've been waiting forever for you." It came from a punk guy with a neon green Mohawk and dressed in the usual punk clothes. Surrounding him was a bunch of other Purple Dragons._

"_Ah, put a sock it lad." The guy retorted. "It's not like there was a time line to follow."_

"_But we do have deadline to keep." A man with a dragon tat on his face replied._

"_So this is the build, eh Dragon face?" The guy asked._

"_What you think, brainic?" Dragon Face mocked._

_Racqel looked at the giant warehouse they were standing in front of. "I thought it was going to be some major store." She frumped. "Not some dinky warehouse. This is going to be too easy."_

"_You really think so you little punk?" Dragon Face asked angrily. "Then you can get us in." He shoved something ruffed into her hand._

_Racqel cocked an eyebrow at him. "A rock?" She questioned._

"_What's the matter, ain't man enough." The guy teased._

_Racqel rolled her eyes at him while tossing the rock behind her. She went over to where a bunch of trashcans were and picked up one that was filled to the brim. After raising it high above her head, she flung it at the multiple windows that was next to the metal roll-up door._

"_Nice one kid." Dragon Face smirked. "Ok Dragons, clutch time." Without wasting anytime, everyone leaped into the building through the entrance Racqel had made. She and the guy were the last to go in._

"_That was a nice display." The guy told her while he scoped out the boxes that lined metal shelves._

"_Hey, I live for making a big speckle of myself." Racqel replied as she checked out some of the equipment laying around on the floor. "If you don't prove yourself, people don't take you seriously."_

"_But ya can go too far. And when you do, that when people start checking ya out too much lad." The guy pointed out._

"_Suppose you're right." Racqel let out a sigh. "Such meager pickings. This really must be a weeding."_

"_So let's get out of here and find something fun to do." The guy suggested. "We could hit up the local arcade."_

"_What for?" Racqel asked._

"_Beat every game they than steal all the money each machine got." The guy replied. "That way, if we really are the guys on the list, we can fund our get away."_

"_And if we're not, we have something to bring back to the gang." Racqel added._

"_That's right."_

_Just as Racqel and the guy were about to make their way out of the warehouse, someone yelled, "Fire!"_

"_What the…" The guy jumped way from a shelf that was against the wall as it went up in flames. "How could it go up so fast?"_

"_Who cares?" Racqel asked rhetorically. "Let's just get everyone out of here before the whole place goes down."_

"_We are the only ones in here." The guy exclaimed. "Take a look around."_

"_I can't believe it." Racqel said as she kicked a box. "We were set up." She turned to look at the guy. "I thought a weeding consist of dumping us on the police."_

"_Don't look at me." The guy said as he put up his hands. "But…but we don't have anything to worry about." He pointed up at the ceiling. "This place has water sprinklers. They should come on at any minute. Once they do, the fire will go out and we can get out of here."_

"_This place is burning up quick." Racqel pointed out. "Like certain items were doused with gasoline." She gave another box a kick. "I should have been able to smell it. I mean, my nose is sensitive enough to at least pick up a faint whiff."_

"_We better hit the ground before we suffocate on the smoke." The guy said as he dropped to the ground._

"_Right." Racqel did the same. "Say, you don't think they might have shut off the water to the building so that the sprinklers wouldn't come on."_

_The guy coughed a little. "No way." Just than water showered down on them. "See."_

_Within minutes most of the flames were out and the smoke had dissipated. Racqel and the guy got off the ground. "I thought we were golden." The guy said as he pulled his jacket over his head to shield himself from the water. "I can't believe they wanted to get rid of us."_

_Racqel gave a shrug. "Maybe we are too good and the others don't want that kind of competition." Suddenly something caught her eye. It was a long black line with sparks spitting out of it. "Quick, we got to get off the ground."_

"_Why?" The guy inquired as he looked in the same direction she did. "Oh man." He saw the live wire too. "Every shelf is made of metal." The guy said as he looked around. "No matter where we climb we're going to get electrocuted." He started to pull on the ends of his jacket. "First fire and now this. They really want us dead."_

"_Or they're trying to flush someone out." Racqel pushed the guy out of the way and caught the wire before it hit the ground. The end of it landed on her wrist, yet she felt no pain._

_The guy stared at her with wide eyes. "What are you thinking?" He yelled. "Catching that live wire."_

"_Scold me later." Racqel snapped. "Let's just get out of here."_

_The guy looked a little skeptical. "Yeah…sure." He went towards the broken windows. "We can't get out the way we came." The guy stated. "There is still a wall of fire blocking our way."_

_Without even thinking Racqel waved a hand and a gust of wind rushed through the warehouse. "Are you going to stand there and gawk or are you going to get out of here?" She asked as soon as the flames were out._

_In a stun state the guy backed way from Racqel. "Duh…uh…" He fell over the large window ledge._

"_You ok?" Racqel asked as she climbed out of the building._

"_Ya caught that wire like it was nothin'." The guy panted. "I saw the end hit yer arm and yet ya didn't even flinch." He moved away from her as she moved toward him. "With the wave of yer arm wind came to put a wall of fire." The guy jumped to his feet. "Yer one of them elemental guys we're suppose to be looking for."_

_Racqel nodded her head. "That's right. Wind and lightening are my specialty."_

_The guy circled around Racqel, looked her over from head to toe. "Who could've though stuff like that could come from someone looking like you." He gave a chuckle. "Man ya have a lot of guts join up with this group knowin' yer wanted and everythin', laddy."_

"_I'm a guy on a mission." Racqel told him. "But my cover is blown." She heaved a heavy sigh. "This heist was a weeding alright. A weeding to find me out."_

"_Then let's get ya outta here before the others find out we got out." The guy suggested._

"_Wait, you're not going to turn me in?" Racqel questioned._

"_Are ya kiddin'?" The guy asked rhetorically. "Lad, ya just save my life. Besides we're friends. No way I'm gonna to turn on ya."_

_Now it was Racqel's turn to be stunned. Never had she thought that a Purple Dragon could be loyal. Before she had chance to say anything the guy grabbed her shirtsleeve and pulled her behind him._

_There was a flash and Racqel found herself in an alleyway filled with Purple Dragon. Standing in front of her was Hun with a satisfied smile on his face. "We've been looking for you." The blonde man said smugly. "I had a feeling you were in our ranks, but I wasn't sure which one of my Dragons you were."_

"_So maybe you're not as dumb as you sound." Racqel replied with confidence. "Only took you a year to find me."_

_Hun backhanded her. "Shut up you freak." He snarled. "You're lucky that the Master wants you alive."_

_Racqel got back up onto her feet. "Death would be better than whatever he has to offer."_

"_Oh, you are going to wish you were dead after you see what we are going to do with you." Hun answered. "And let me leave you with this last thought." A huge grin came onto the blonde man's face. "Your Irish accented friend sold you out to save his own life." He gave a harsh laugh. "We set him up to die, knowing that you'd risk expose yourself to save him and he hangs you out to dry in return."_

"_Keep laughing Tiny." Racqel snapped._

"_Enough." Hun snapped his fingers and a ninja pushed his way through the ranks of Purple Dragons. He handed the blonde man a choker made of electronics. "You'll learn to yield as soon as I get your collar on."_

"_That is, if you can get it on." Racqel bodied started to make buzzing noises like an electric zap going between to metal poles._

"_Rubber absorbs electricity, remember?" Hun held out a hand and the ninja pulled a rubber glove onto it. "Now let's be a good doggie and get all spiffed up." He grabbed Racqel by the shirtfront and whipped the collar around her neck._

_In an instant Racqel could feel her mind go blank, like she was losing control of it. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't keep any thought that was her own. Instead it was being replaced by something else. Something telling her that she must 'obey the master'._

'_No.' Racqel told the collar. 'My thoughts are my own. Get out of my head.'_

'_Obey the master.'_

'_Never.'_

'_Obey the master.'_

'_N…no.'_

'_Obey the master.'_

'_O…bey…the…master. Obey…the…master…'_

"No!" Racqel screamed. "No!"

"Racqel, wake up." Someone told her. "Wake up before you wake up the whole neighborhood."

"Give me back my mind!" Racqel cried.

"Racqel! Wake up!" The same someone bellowed.

Racqel could feel herself being shaken. "What!" Her eyes shot wide open. "Huh?" The young girl found herself looking at Leo.

"It's about time you woke up." The blue clad turtle told her. "I've been trying to wake you for ten minutes." He lets go of her shoulders, which he had been holding tightly. "You were having a nightmare."

"This was no mere nightmare." Racqel panted. "Definitely not nightmare."

Leonardo cocked an eyebrow. "Eh?"

"It was a vision." Racqel answered. "I had a vision…from the past."

"What was it about?" Leonardo inquired.

"It was about a guy named Fredrick." Racqel told him. "And this Fredrick guy had elemental power. It was Wind…and Lightening."

"What could this mean?" Leonardo asked.

"I dunno." Racqel breathed. "I think, I found one of my brothers…and he's a Purple Dragon."

"What!" Leonardo jumped up from the bed he sat on. "You're brother is a what?"

"Hey, I should be the one getting excited." Racqel scolded. "But I'm more worried if anything." She let out a sigh. "He joined them for some reason and now he's caught. They took away his mind so that he would obey the Shredder, or that's what it felt like they did."

"Well, don't worry." Leonardo sat back down on the bed and put a hand on her shoulder. "We'll help you find him."

A smile came onto Racqel's face. "Thanks...big brother."

At first Leonardo didn't know what to say, what she called him caught him off-guard. After giving it a quick moments thought, Leo decided he didn't mind her calling him big brother. It was something he missed his own brothers doing when they were younger. "No problem." The blue clad turtle replied with a smile of his own. "See you in the morning."

* * *

_A/N: Welp now we know what happen to one of Racqel's brothers. But in what state will she and the turtles find him? How long had he been like that? Find out in the next chapter._


	19. Blood is Thicker Than Water

**Blood is Thicker than Water**

Racqel went out on Dragon patrol with the turtles and Casey the next night. If anyone would know anything about her brother's whereabouts, it would be them. But every group they found either knew nothing or wouldn't talk. As the night drew to an end, Racqel started to get frustrated.

"Ya didn't expect to find him in one night, did ya?" Raphael asked her sternly.

"No." Racqel semi-whined. "But…I can't stop thinking about how he is lost in the deep darkness of his mind." She started wringing her hands. "Can you imagine going for days or maybe even weeks without freedom of thought and choice?"

Casey grasped the young girl's shoulders. "I wanna find him just a badly as you do." He said while making her look at him. "But freakin' out like dis ain't gonna help. Ya need ta keep yer head about ya." The young girl took a deep breath while nodding in acknowledgement.

There was the sound of glass breaking nearby and Leonardo pointed a katana in the direction it was coming from. "I think we found another group to break up." Everyone slipped to where the sound was made and found a store with a broken window front. "Let's get around back, quickly." The blue clad turtle ordered. "We can cut them off there."

The group rounded the building in time to see Purple Dragons pour out the back door with their arms full of loot. "Hello boys." Raphael laughed. "Nice night fer a fight?" Before any of the Purple Dragons could do anything, the group attacked them.

The numbers of Dragons were enough for everyone to fight one and still have a left over. The extra Dragon watched as his teammates were defeated with such ease before figuring it would be smart to just run away. Unfortunate for him, he didn't go unnoticed. Racqel happen to look up when she was done taking out her Dragon opponent and felt two feelings coming from the guy: one was of disloyalty and the other was of remorse. Curious as why these feelings were emanating so heavily from the guy, the young girl took off after him until a wired fence with a barbwire top bared his path.

Figuring that it probably hurt a whole lot less fighting Racqel than climbing over the barbed fence, the Purple Dragon turned around to face her; which could have been a mistake on his part. Daggers could have shot out of the young girl's eyes as she glared at the guy.

"You." Racqel knew who he was and it was going take all her strength to keep from killing him. "You back-stabbing bastard." The young girl snarled as she grabbed the guy by his shirtfront. "My brother risked his freedom to save your pathetic hide and you paid him back by setting him up." She slammed him up against the fence.

The turtles and Casey came around in time to see Racqel spat in the Dragon's face. The guy used his shoulder to wipe off the spit. "Now wait just a minute 'ere lass." He told the young girl sternly. "Ya got it all wrong."

"Don't tell me what I know and don't know." Racqel ordered while she bounced him off the fence. "I saw everything through his very eyes. I'm surprise you didn't delivering him to Hun with a great big bow."

The guy grabbed Racqel's wrists. "Will you give me a chance to explain myself?" The turtles and Casey ran to her side with their weapons brandished. Spooked, the punk quickly let go. "If it weren't fer yer brother, I wouldn't be alive today."

Racqel got into the guy's face. "Maybe that would have been a good thing." She pushed off him to get distance and he bounced on the fence. "Dead men don't betray others."

"Now you listen 'ere lass." The guy said firmly. "If ya knew anythin' about yer bro, it would be that he won't let someone die right in front of 'im."

Racqel balled up one of her hands and socked the punk hard in the cheek. "How _dare_ you tell me what I should know about my own brother."

"I guess I deserved that." The man lightly rubbed his bruised face. "But ya knew that Hun and the Dragons set Fredrick up to be caught. I could have died tellin' nothin' and they would still have caught yer brother. The only reason I sold him out was because of the promise I made 'im."

Racqel cocked an eyebrow. "What do you mean you made him a promise?"

The guy took something out of his pocket. "'Ere." It was a sword earring identical to the one she had. "He told me that by acceptin' this, I swore to stay alive by any means necessary."

Racqel grasped the earring in an attempt to snatch it from the guy, but something happened. She gasped while a vision shot into her head. _It was an alley with two people entering it. One was the guy pulling Fredrick by his torn sleeve. "Let's stop 'ere and catch our breath, lad." The guy pant._

_Between gulps of breath Fredrick says, "I want you to make me a promise." The guy cocked an eyebrow. "Hun and the Purple Dragons are going to swarm the city looking for me." Was Fredrick's answer to the guy's questioning look. "No matter where I'll go, I won't be able to hide from them for long."_

"_I know this city like the back of my hand lad. I can hide you anywhere."_

"_But then your life will be at risk too if you help me and I don't want that. What I want is for you to promise to stay alive. No matter what, I want you to live. Even if it means having to sell me out to Hun."_

_They guy's eyes grew so wide that they made his face stretched. "What?!"_

"_You heard me." Fredrick took an earring out of his pocket and held it out to the guy. "I want you to take this as a way to seal the deal."_

"_No!" The guy pushed the earring away. "I won't do that lad."_

_Fredrick grabbed the guy by the shirtfront so he could get into his face. "A year ago the Shredder captured my sister. I joined the Purple Dragons, made a big spectacle of myself, so that I could work my way up through the ranks. I figured it was the only way to get to her. But now it will only be a matter time before Hun or Shredder get me. And when they do, I won't be any help to her." He held up the earring. "With this, you're promising me that you'll stay alive and finish my mission."_

"_Why me?"_

"_I don't know how to explain this, but I just know you're the one that will find her and that she's the only one that will be able to give me back the freedom I'll lose."_

"_I don't get it lad, but I'll do as you ask." The guy said as he held out his hand. "But I don't want to sell you out."_

"_I don't think you'll have much of a choice." Fredrick replied gravely as he handed over the earring._

"Racqel! Snap out of it!" The young girl felt someone pat her cheeks. "Come on." With the patting she also felt someone else trying to uncurl her fingers. Racqel's vision went blurry and she had to blink a couple of times in order to get it to clear enough to show Donatello's face in hers. "You looked like you were lost for a minute."

"I'm fine." Racqel said before she realized that it was Casey who was trying to open her hand. "Why are you doing that?"

"Ta get ya ta let go of da guy." Her uncle replied. "When ya grabbed the earring and gasped, ya seized his hand also." Racqel looked passed Don to see that her hand was gripped tight to the guy's and quickly yanked it away with the earring in it.

Leonardo came into her view. "What happen?"

"I…had a vision." Racqel answered. "About the promise the Dragon said he made." She gently moved Don and Casey to the side so that she could get to the guy. "Now that you found me, I want you to help us find him."

"You didn't even need to ask lass." The guy replied. "I was hopin' to help ya rescue Fredrick in payment fer savin' me." He cautiously pushed his way through the group so as not to piss anyone off. "Follow me."

"Right, like we're gonna trust a Purple Dragon." Raphael said with laugh. "How do we know ya ain't gonna set us up like ya did her bro?"

"He sold out my brother, because of the promise he made." Racqel answered and everyone looked at her like she was nuts. "I don't know how to explain it, but I know that he really wants to help for the sake of friendship and I ask that you trust me on this." She turned to the guy. "But know this, I can read feelings. So if I get any weird vibes I'm going to tell them. And they'll be on you before you could even think up an excuse."

The guy nodded. "Message received lass." He waved a hand. "Come on."

"Where are we going?" Leonardo asked while everyone followed the Purple Dragon.

"Central Park." The guy answered. "See, Hun knew of the pact I made with Fredrick to find his sister and figured that I would be willing to sell you out like I did yer brother. So he told me that if I find you before he did, I was to send out this little signal." He pulled out a small black remote and pressed the blue button; a little red light flicked at the end of it. "This tell the big guy that I found you and that I'm brin' you down there."

"What good is that going do me?" Racqel questioned. "That's not gonna get us Fredrick."

"That's where yer wrong lass." The guy said as he pocketed the remote again. "Ever since Hun captured Fredrick, he hasn't let him out of arm's length. Everywhere the big guy went, Fredrick was there with him. It's like Hun is using him as some kind of secret weapon."

"But why didn't he use Fredrick to catch me when he found out where I went to school?" Racqel questioned.

"Don't know lass." The guy replied. "I've followed the big guy, but I have yet to get into his head. All I know is that I'm to bring you down to the lake in the park so that he could pit you against yer brother."

"I have to fight him!?" Racqel exclaimed. "I…I can't."

"If dukin' it out is the only way ta get yer bro back, den dat's what yer gonna have ta do. Raphael told the young girl sternly. "If I were in yer spot and it were one of my bros under control, I do it in a flash."

"But I'd be way outmatched." Racqel replied. "For me to fight my brother is like for one of you to fight Leo."

"I can contend with Leo just find, I'll have ya know." Raphael retorted. "I may not know all his moves, but I know I can hold my own against him."

"Ok, fine. But that's all in a physical sense." Racqel replied. "What you should do is think about it in a magical sense and that he knows everything while you're still struggling to understand what you're doing."

"But you're good." Donatello told the young girl. "I've seen what you can do and it's amazing."

"Fredrick has been using his magic all his life." Racqel answered. "And though he may not have mastered his two elemental powers, he's able to do things without putting much thought into it." She gave a frustrated sigh. "Even with all that hard training I've been doing, I still have to think about what I'm going to do before I can do it."

The guy grabbed her arm and pulls her to a stop. "Now you listen 'ere lass. Fredrick is countin' on you to save him and he said yer the only who can do it." When Racqel shot the Dragon a glare he let go of her. "What I'm tryin' to say is that if yer brother thinks you can save him, then you should think that too." Racqel said nothing, but started walking again.

Everyone started walking again too, but Leonardo was the only one to quicken his pace so he could catch up with the young girl. "I've seen your progress and I've been your training partner, so believe me when I say that you're strong enough to take on this task."

"No offense, big brother, but…you have no magical powers." Racqel replied. "Fighting a non-magic person is way different from fighting magic person. How do you know I have the strength?"

"I'm not going to take any offense." Leonardo replied. "You're fighting for the sake of family. You should draw strength from that, because there's going to be a time when family is all you're gonna have." Racqel still looked a little depressed. "Something else on your mind?"

"It's just that…I feel bad for my brother." Racqel answered. "He joined the Purple Dragons to find me, but I managed to escape the year he joined. If I calculate right, Fredrick has been in the darkness of his mind for over a year."

Leonardo put a hand on the young girl's shoulder. "Don't worry, whatever happens we'll be there to help. " He gave the shoulder a small squeeze.

Racqel put a hand on the one that was on her shoulder. "Thanks." She said with a smile.

**At Central Park **

They showed up at the lake to find Hun standing there with a group of Purple Dragons and a handful of Foot Soldiers. The big man's eyes scanned the group while a satisfied smile came onto this face. "You did good, Francis." He told the guy and the guy saluted.

"Where is he?" Racqel demanded.

"Your twin brother is right here." Hun snapped his fingers and Fredrick walked forward, eyes in a mindless blank stare. His brown hair was shoulder length and tied into a ponytail. The clothing he wore was the same style as Hun's. "Like the look? I figure that since he was my little 'pet', I'd have him look a little like me."

"How insulting." Racqel replied coldly.

"What is insulting is that you think I'm stupid." Hun grabbed Francis by the shirtfront. "Did you really think that I wouldn't know you'd turn on me?" He asked rhetorically. "The day you started hiding my new little pet, I knew that you would never be loyal to me ever again. Even though you gave him up, I knew you'd never give up his sister."

Francis dangled from the height that Hun had him at. "I only gave him up cause he told me to." He choked.

"And you think that just cause his sister is here, she's going to save him." Hun started to laugh in the guy's face.

Francis gave Hun a sharp kick to the gut and the big man releases him. "I don't think, I know." The guy told the blonde man while he was bent over. "And I'm going to help make sure she does along with her friends."

Hun grunted as he straightened up. "That's what you think." He waved a hand as an order for his Purple Dragons and the Foot Soldiers to attack.

Racqel pulled off her earring while everyone else unsheathed or brought out their weapons (Francis had a switchblade). But before she could change it into her sword, Hun put up a hand. "You won't need that." The big guy told her. "Because you'll be taking on your brother." He gave Fredrick a shove. "Get her for me, my pet."

"Yes…master." Fredrick waved of his arm and a gush of wind rush towards Racqel. With her arms crossed in front of her face, the young girl was pushed back by the wind. She never left the ground, but her feet left long drag marks in it.

Once the wind had dead down, Racqel dashed over to the lake. She stuck one hand out over the lake and held the other in front of her chest. Water streamed up from the lake, coiled around the hand that was above it a couple of times, and then streamed over to the tip of her other hand. With the flick of her chest level hand, she set the water toward her twin brother like a whip.

Without even blinking, Fredrick did a back-flip jump to avoid the attack. Again Racqel did her water whip attack and again Fredrick avoided it. When Racqel did the attack one more time, Fredrick not only avoided, he sent an electrical zap out of his index finger at the stream.

The current followed the water line back to Racqel. "Ow!" The young girl yelped when she felt a sharp tingling sensation travel up the arm that had the water coiled around. "Ok, water conducts electricity, so I got to make sure water doesn't touch me." She told herself as she flew out to the center of the lake. "Or that I don't touch any water." With the motion of both arms, she sent a large wave from the lake towards her brother.

"Please…" Fredrick replied unemotionally as he jumped high up into the air and stayed there.

"You're telekinetic too." Racqel breathed.

"Anything you can do, I can do." Fredrick told her impassively. "But I can do it better." The young boy flew at his sister with his hands out and grabs her around the neck. "You can't beat me." He kept pushing her and until he had her up against a tree.

"You can't kill me." Racqel told her twin. "I'm your sister."

"Think that means anything to me now?" Fredrick asked. "The only reason I can't kill you is because the master wouldn't let me." He sent electrical current through his hand into her neck. "But just because I can't kill you, doesn't me I can't hurt you."

Racqel gasped in pain. "Is that you talking or the device you wear?" She grabbed the collar that was round the young boy's neck so she could pull it off him. But when she gave it a tug, she felt a jolt go through both her arms. "Ah!"

"You can't take it off." Fredrick told her. "Not that I would want you to." He sent another electrical current into her neck.

Racqel gave her twin brother a sharp kick in the stomach and it sent him flying back. "Why would you want to keep that thing on?" She asked while rubbing her aching neck. "You have no freedom of thought…of choice."

"If that were true, then how come I can taut you?" Fredrick asked as he sent two twisters of wind at her.

The twisters circled around and bounced off each other as they sped towards her. Panicked, Racqel flew behind the tree she was against and held onto the branches while the wind blew around her. "You can't call it freedom if you're being told to be this way."

"What is freedom really?" Fredrick questioned. "The choice to do what you want when you want or choice to do what you want when you can? Cause you know you can't do what you want when you have to keep hiding. Now that I'm with Hun and grandfather, I can do what I want anytime I want."

"But that kind of freedom has a price." Racqel replied. "I mean, look at you. They're treating you more like a tool than a person."

"At least they wouldn't abandon me like you did." Fredrick snapped.

"I didn't abandon you." Racqel told him. "If anyone was abandon, it was me."

This got an emotional rise out of Fredrick. "Liar." He barked. "I remember the night like it was yesterday. You and I were in bed and I roll over to find you gone."

"I was five-years-old." Racqel retorted. "How could I have abandoned you? Besides, if father was so great why didn't he come rescue you when you were captured?"

"Shut up!" Fredrick shouted as he sent a large lighting bolt at his twin sister. "I will not have you talk about my dad that way!"

Racqel did a barrel roll to avoid the bolt and sent another wave at Fredrick. Because he was so angry, the young boy didn't see it come until it hit him. "So you still care about dad, that means the real you is in there somewhere."

Fredrick was slammed to the ground by the wave. After spitting out a mouthful of water, the young boy's face showed no emotion anymore. "A momentary lapse that I can guaranty won't happen again."

"If I got you to react once I think I can do it again." Racqel taunted. "Maybe with the real you fighting to get out, we can get that collar off."

"Will you come of it?" Fredrick asked in annoyance. "What you see _is_ the real me." He stuck his hand out and electric zaps come out of each finger.

Throwing her hands up, Racqel had a wall of water come up in front of her and made sure that not a part of the liquid was touching her. Unfortunately the barrier made it hard to see Fredrick flying at her for his next attack. He went right through the wall of water, seized Racqel at the wrist, and spun her around. Faster and faster the young boy spun the girl. Then, when Racqel couldn't take another second, Fredrick released her. The young girl sailed at a downward angle and slid along the ground on her back once she hit it.

Casey, the turtles, and Francis had finished with whom they were dealing with during the fight between the twins. They rushed over to Racqel to make she was ok. "You alright lass?" Francis asked as he held out a hand to help the young girl up.

Racqel groan. "Yeah." She took the hand and got back up onto her feet. "The only causality is my shirt." Racqel showed her back and everyone saw a giant tear. "Luckily I had the foresight to wear a tank-top underneath it." She tore the shirt it off to reveal a black tank top.

"All I've seen ya do so far is take da defense and yammer." Raphael scolded. "Yer never gonna help yer bro if ya don't get serious. So stop foolin' around. It's time ta get down and dirty."

"Alright." Racqel replied as she waved a hand at him. "I'm taking off the kid gloves."

Fredrick sent down a shower of lighting bolts around the group to get their attention. "If it is one thing I can't stand, it is being ignored." He groused.

"Ignore this." Racqel shot a hand up into the air, causing a spout of water to shoot up under the boy from the lake and it sent him flying up high. "Raph, Leo, give me a hand up."

"

What fer?" Raphael asked. "Ya can fly."

"I need a speedy launch to meet him as he comes down." Racqel told them

Both turtles shrugged their shoulders, grabbed a leg, and threw the young girl up into the air. Racqel sped towards Fredrick with an arm stretched out and the hand balled up into a fist.

Though he was dazed, the young boy was able to defend himself against the flying punch by grabbing her wrist. But before he could do any kind of counter attack, Racqel grabbed the wrist of the hand that held hers with the other hand. Then she yanked her seized hand free so she could grab his shirtfront. "I admit that you have the upper hand when it comes to fighting magic-wise." Racqel gave Fredrick several kicks to the gut. "But when it comes to hand-to-hand combat, I have yet to worry."

"Problem with fighting hand-to-hand is that you have to touch me." Fredrick replied. "Can't hurt me if you can't touch me." Racqel gasped as she felt a jolt go through both hands.

Desperate to let go, the young girl throws the boy over her shoulder in the direction of where she came from. The hand that held Fredrick's wrist was able to let go, but the one holding his shirtfront couldn't. There was a loud tear as the boy flew and Racqel was left holding a large patch of black cloth.

Fredrick did the same slide Racqel did on the ground when he hit it. Casey, the turtles, and Francis jumped away so the boy could go past them. When Fredrick stood up, it was seen that the back of his shirt tore open and it fell off. On his back was the tattoo of a purple dragon and on his right shoulder was a rose that had four different colors: red, blue, purple, and orange.

"Quickly, let's seize 'im." Raphael said. "Donnie can get the collar off while we hold 'im."

"No! Don't touch him." Racqel cried when she saw everyone charge toward Fredrick. "Touching him would be like touching a live wire." The young girl waved her arm to send a wave at the group. Before it hit anyone, it divided so that it would go around the boy and knock everyone else away from him.

"Bad move." Fredrick said as he stepped on the wet grass that was around him. "You just made it really easy to give everyone the shock of their life."

Racqel flew at the young boy. "Don't think so." Before he could even send off a spark, the young girl grabbed him around the waist and hoisted him off the ground. A white color was added to the other four colors that the rose had on Fredrick's right shoulder.

But as Racqel carried him away from the group, the rose turned fully white.

Fredrick gave a chuckle. "Now you're making a stupid move." He reached behind him and grabbed his sister by the neck.

"Nah!" Racqel cried while she felt electro shock in both arms and neck. "Stop this!" She told him. "This isn't you!"

'_You think I don't know that?_' A voice said in her head. '_You think I haven't been trying to regain control? You think I really want hurt anyone, let alone you?_'

It stunned Racqel that for the first time since she set eyes on Fredrick, he was actually talking to her in his own words. Well…it wasn't really talking when it was all in her head. But if it was in her head, was it really him talking? Confused and not being able to take the electricity being pumped into her, Racqel threw her brother away from her.

Fredrick dropped a couple of feet before stopping himself in the air. "What's the matter?" He taunted. "Can't take anymore." The rose on his shoulder turned from white to blue.

"Were you just talking to me?" Racqel asked as she looked down at the boy. "Were you just telling me that you didn't want to fight?"

"No!" Fredrick retorted. '_Yes!_' A voice in her head said.

"How are you doing that?" Racqel demanded. "How are you talking to me and yet not talking to me?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Fredrick barked. '_Telepathically._' The voice answered. '_Didn't you know that we're telepathic?_'

"…no." Racqel breathed. "You mean that you and I can send thoughts to each other." A giant grin came onto her face. "Oh my gosh, we can send. That is so cool."

'_You know what would be cool? Getting me out of here!_' The voice replied. "Who are you talking to? It can't be me." Fredrick snapped.

"How?" Racqel asked.

"How what?" Fredrick's face was starting to flush. '_The collar, duh._' The voice answered.

"The last time I tried to pull off the collar I got a couple of volts." Racqel reminded.

'_Oh yeah…_' The voice said. "Will you talk to me?" Fredrick bellowed while his face turned crimson. He stretched his arm out and sent a lightening bolt from his hand at the young girl in anger.

Racqel dropped to the ground to avoid the attack and ran back to the group. "You guys are not going to believe this." She panted. "He's in there. He's in there."

"What are you talking about?" Michelangelo questioned. "Who's in there?"

"Fredrick." Racqel answered gleefully. "He's in there trying to get out."

"How do ya know?" Casey asked.

"He told me telepathically." Racqel replied gleefully. "Isn't it cool? We're telepathic."

"That's great and all, but how is that going help?" Leonardo questioned.

"Well…" Racqel put a finger on her chin. "Um…I know he's trying to get out and that he want to be free. But he says the only way to do that is to get the collar off."

"So then that's what we'll do." Donatello stated. "You get him down here and I'll get it off." He started to unzip his duffle bag.

"Nobody can touch him or the collar without getting electrocuted." Racqel told him. "But if a strong current of electricity were to go into the collar it would short out, right?"

"It could." Donatello answered. "But I don't have anything that could produce any electricity or conduct it. And I don't have the protective gear either."

Suddenly a dust twister surrounded the group and everyone had to shield their eyes. "Didn't I tell you that hated to be ignored?" Fredrick complained as the twister died down.

"The fight is still between you and me." Racqel stood in a defensive stance. "Come at me, if you dare." She said while waving a taunting hand.

"With pleasure." Fredrick said as he flew toward her.

"What are you doing?" Donatello asked.

"I have an idea on how to get that collar off, the only question is if I have the strength to do it." Racqel answered. "As for the rest of you, stay back."

"This ought to be good." Hun laughed as he watched Fredrick nab Racqel around the waist and sail off with her toward the lake. "There is no way she can get that collar off." He turned to look at the group. "And when he's done with her, you'll all be next."

'_Why are you letting me grab you?_' The voice in her head questioned. '_Now that you made me mad, I'm really gonna hurt you._'

"I'm counting on your anger." Racqel said with a smirk. "Cause you're other self is being so arrogant that he doesn't know he fell into my trap."

"Like you could do anything to me." Fredrick gave a laugh. '_What are you going to do?_' The voice asked.

"The hardest thing I'd ever thought I'd do." Racqel replied gravely as she flipped them over so that she was on top and the boy was below. She continued to fly them to the lake until they neared the middle of it. Once there, she dunked Fredrick into the water and holds him beneath the surface.

With fear flowing in him, Fredrick grabbed Racqel's shoulders and starts pumping as much electricity into them as he could. Racqel turned her arms into water so that she could send the electricity back into him.

"What are ya doin'?" Raphael exclaimed. "I told ya to get tough, not kill him."

"I'm…not." Racqel grunted. "I'm trying to get the collar off."

Donatello watched what was going on. "I get it." He breathed. "She's letting him force electricity into her arms so she can send it back into the collar in order to make it burn out."

"But couldn't she have done dat without tryin' ta kill him?" Casey questioned in a bit of a panicked tone.

Tears of pain started to pour from her eyes. Her arms, her legs, her whole body ached from the electricity going into it. "He needs…to fight…to live…free!" She said with halted whimpering.

"Of course." Donatello said with the snap of his fingers. "By having him fight for his life, she's getting him to pump a strong enough current for her to send back into the collar."

"Like I'm going to sit back and let that happen." Hun stated while he headed for the lake.

Francis started to go after the big man. "Oh no yoer not." But Don grabbed a shirtsleeve to stop him. "We need to stop him before he stops her."

"He won't." Donatello replied confidently. "The minute he puts a foot into the water, he's going to get a really big shock. Though Racqel is focusing the electricity into the collar, it's still being pumped into the lake."

Hearing this, Hun stopped at the edge of the lake and grumbled under his breath when he realized that there was no way he could reach Racqel without going into the water.

"It's still a gamble with what's the lass is doin' there." Francis pointed out. "Who knows which will last longer? That collar or Fredrick's breath."

"Look." Michelangelo pointed at the roses around the young girl's neck. The blue rose that was near Racqel's right shoulder was starting to darken. "What is making it do that?"

"I don't know." Donatello answered. "It's nothing I've ever seen."

'_I don't know how much longer I can last._' The voice said. '_I'm starting to black out._'

'_Fight._' Racqel sent to Fredrick. '_If you want to be free, then you're gonna have to fight. Keep giving until you can't give anymore and then give some more._'

'_If you can't get the collar off, then just kill me._ _I can't stand another minute in this darkness, watching myself do things that I don't want to do._'

'_I'm not going to kill you. We'll get the collar off…together. Just hang on a little bit longer._'

'_I'm trying, but I think I'm about to lose._'

"The air bubbles are starting to lessen." Francis said in a worried tone. "She should just give up."

"She knows what she's doing." Leonardo said calmly. "All we have to do is trust her."

Suddenly there was a burble under the water, as if something seemed to explode. Racqel turned both her arms back normal as she pulled them out of the water. In one hand she held the broken collar and she had pulled Fredrick out by his hair with the other; he coughed for air.

"Triumph." Racqel said in a tired cheer. Then she tossed the collar away so she could take her newly freed twin brother into her arms.

Seeing as it was safe to enter the lake, Hun charged in to seize the twins. But before he could lay hands on them, someone jumped onto his back in an attempted tackle. This caused the big man to reach behind him, grab his 'attacker' by the belt, and pull him off.

It was Francis. And while he dangled in front of the Hun, he tried to take a swing at the big man with his switchblade. But Hun was able to stop the attack by grabbing the guy's wrist. With a grin plastered on is face, the big man snapped the wrist.

Racqel turned her head and an exhausted Fredrick struggled to keep his eyes open. "Leave him alone." They both said tiredly.

Hun looked down at them. "You mean you don't want me to do this?" He twisted Francis's arm till it cracked and the guy let out a yelp.

Racqel's eyes grew wide. "Guys do something." She cried back to the group.

"Put him down Hun!" Casey ordered while charging with a raised hockey stick.

"Sure Jones." Hun released Francis's belt and, while the guy dropped to his feet, raised his hands above his head. With a relieved smile on his face and holding his limp arm, Francis went to take a step towards the twins. But before anyone (turtle or human) could do anything, Hun grabbed the guy by the hair with one hand and a shoulder with the other.

Fredrick and Racqel watched with horror as Francis's head was yanked back. A loud snap rang from the movement. With widen eyes and faces frozen in shock, the twins watched as the young man fell slowly into the lake next to them.

Fredrick broke away from Racqel's embrace so he could scramble over to his friend. "Francis?" The young boy asked in a choked whisper. "Frankie…" He pulled his friend up out of the lake, into his arms, and gave him a shake. The guy's head wobbled about like a bobble toy.

Racqel crawled up next to her brother. She lifted up Francis's head to see his eyes were left open and his face had the look of utter surprise. "…no." She recognized this look, because she's seen before on others who had died in front her. This wasn't a face that could be easily forgotten.

"He's…he's not dead." Fredrick choked. "He's just unconscious." He tried to stand up with his friend in his arms. "We…we just have to get him to a hospital. That's all." But the boy was tried and he couldn't even lift himself up, let alone his friend.

"Oh yeah." Hun laughed. "A hospital is really going to help now."

A spout of water hit the big man in the face. "Shut up you jerk." Racqel growled.

"Little girl got guts." Hun said snidely. "Gonna regret doing that." He went to reach for both her and Fredrick, but a hockey stick to the head stopped him.

"You leave dem alone." Casey barked. "You leave my niece and nephew alone if ya know what's good fer ya."

"You don't scare me Jones." Hun said as he turned around to face the dark haired man. "I can chew you up and spit you out."

"Ya don't scare me either." Casey retorted. "I'll fight ya so long as der is family ta protect and friends by my side." The turtles gathered around him, brandishing their weapons.

"You can't get to me before I get to them." Hun whipped around to see the twins standing tall with their friend in their arms.

Fredrick held Francis's upper half while Racqel held the lower half. "Leave now while you can still walk." They said in unison. "And take your minions with you."

"Like you two could do anything to me." Hun laughed.

The twins narrowed their eyes at him while some sort of light seemed to glow around them. "You had your chance." From behind the boy and girl, a twister of water formed up behind them.

A look of defeat came onto Hun's face as he watched the water twister go faster and faster. When it was twice the twin's size it went around them, heading straight for the big man. Once it collected him, it went after the people he brought with him. After all their enemies were picked up, the water twister spun fast enough to throw them out of the park.

"Whoa. It's like being in the middle of a crazy anime." Michelangelo breathed. "This is _so_ cool."

"Hey Leo." Raphael nudged his brother with his elbow. "I assume da guy will be movin' in with us." The blue clad turtle shot him a 'no duh' look. "Den remind me not ta piss dem both off tagether."

The water twister died out and the twins collapsed from exhaustion. Everyone ran into the lake to get the fallen twins out before they accidentally drown. Don carried Racqel, Casey carried Fredrick, and Raph help Leo carry Francis's limp body.

Racqel was fighting to keep her eyes open. "What are we gonna do about…?"

"Shh…" Donatello hushed. "We'll take care of it."

"Fred…rick?" Losing the struggle with her eyes, Racqel fell asleep.

"Name is…Flik." The boy replied before he, too, fell asleep.

On the way to the lair a stop was made to secretly drop Francis's body off at the hospital. Then when they got to the lair, Don put Racqel to bed in her room and Casey waited for Leo to lay futon down in there for Flik. About fifteen minutes after everyone left the twins to sleep, Flik rolled over and felt the side of his bed. When he didn't find what he was looking for he rolled over to feel the other side. Again he didn't find what he was looking for and it alarmed him. The young boy shot up off the futon to feel around the room for what he wanted or needed to ease his fear.

Eventually Flik found his way to Racqel's bed. Cautiously the young boy felt around for hair and when he found it he twisted it around in his fingers. He remembered about how he used to do this when he was little, when he and his sister slept together. Her hair was like a security blanket for him. That's how he found out she was gone, he went to put a fist full of hair under his nose and found it not there.

Longing to have that security back, Flik climbed into the bed next to his sister and grabbed some hair to rub under his nose. Absentmindedly his thumb somehow found its way into his mouth. Now Flik felt at ease and very secure. He was glad that his sister was asleep, because he feared that she would kick him out.

Sure it was weird for them to sleep together, especially at this age, but Flik worried that Racqel would suddenly disappear like she did that one night. So long as he had a hold of her, he felt secure that she would be there when he woke up the next day.

'_You can stay in the bed and you can yank my hair, but get your thumb out of your mouth. You're fifteen-years-old for Element Sakes._' Racqel sent.

Flik's body seized up, she was awake. '_Sorry, I didn't know._' There was loud sucking pop as he removed his thumb. '_How long have you been awake?_'

'_Long enough._' Racqel held his hand in hers to make him ease up. '_You don't worry have to worry, I'm not going anywhere._'

'_You promise?_'

'_If you promise you won't go anywhere either._'

'_Deal._'

* * *

**Disclaimers:** Flik is a charcter from Suikoden, which belongs to Konomi.

_A/N: Yes, Fredrick's reall name is Flik and explanations on about this whole name thing will be explained next chapter. Also, there isn't going to be any incest going on, they're just going to have a close relationship because they're twins._

_Anyway, one unexpected family member and one expect family member have been found. That just leaves a couple left to find out about.  
_

_Thanks for reading, until next time._


	20. A Brother's Past Revealed

_A/N:With being constantly busy all this time I didn't think I'd ever get the next chapter out. But I did. (Yay me.)_

* * *

**A Brother's Past Revealed**

"AAA!" April was force to duck down as a young boy leapt over her, followed by his twin sister. "I get called down here to help and nearly get run over." She said while straightening back up.

"They've been running around since breakfast." Leonardo sighed. "I should've offered to help do dishes with Mikey."

"Flik!" Racqel bellowed. "Flik you get back here this minute!"

"No way!" Flik cried back as he continued to run, but not having much luck in gaining a distance between himself and his sister. "If you think I'm just going to sit there and let you do that to me, you better think again."

"Maybe there's something I could help Donnie in his lab. What do you think Ap…April?" In looking for the red haired woman, Leonardo spied her heading for the subway car. "Hey! That was my idea!"

"This is going to hurt a whole lot less than those thousands of needle pricks." Racqel made a jump for her brother, but he flew for the ceiling.

"Having my skin being ripped off is not going to hurt less than needle pricks." Flik retorted.

'_If I don't solve this, it'll never get quiet around here._' Leonardo cupped his hand to his mouth. "Hey, you two! What's going on?"

Flik flew down and took refuge behind the blue clad turtle. "She wants to use some insane magical remedy on me."

Racqel ran over to Leo. "It will only take a couple seconds tops." She told him. "It's on, it's off. That's it."

"What is it you want to do to him?" Leonardo asked.

"I want to get that stupid tattoo off him." Racqel replied sternly.

Flik grasped Leo's shoulders and turned him around. "Guess how she wants to do it. Go on, guess." Leo went to say something, but Flik didn't give him a chance. "She wants to…to put some kind of flypaper thing on my back, smooth it down till it's really stuck on, and then rip it off. She says the tat will come off with it."

Leonardo turned back to face the young girl. "Sounds kinda harsh, doesn't it?"

"It's not like we have the liberty to spend money on some laser burning procedure." Racqel retorted. "And there's no way I'm going to let him wear that stupid purple dragon for the rest of his life."

Raphael came up to them from television area, where he was lounging. "Even though I hate ta do it, I agree with Racqel." He stated "He ain't a Purple Dragon anymore, so why keep dat dumb tat."

"Great, you grab him and I'll apply the paper." Racqel told the red clad turtle.

Flik turned around to face Raph. "Touch me and I'll shock you."

With her brother distracted for a moment, Racqel took the golden ring off her pinky and enlarged it. "Can't do anything if you're wearing this." She said as she slipped the ring over his head. "He's safe enough to grab now."

Raph seized the young boy by the arm. "I warned you." Flik tried to send a shock throughout his body, but nothing happen. "What the…?"

"So long as you're wearing that ring, you can't use your powers." Racqel told him. "Now hold still." She brought out a piece of paper that was large enough to cover her brother's whole back. "The sooner we start, the sooner it will be done."

"Forget it." Flik tried to fly away, but he couldn't get off the ground. So he tried to run, but Raph kept a firm grip on the one arm he had and grabbed the other one.

Now that Flik's back was exposed to Racqel, she slapped the paper on. "Don't worry, it will be all over real soon."

**About a couple hours later…**

"Seconds tops." Flik grunted from his seat on the couch. "Since when did seconds last that long?"

Racqel sat on the same couch, next to her brother. "It would've been seconds if you didn't take off before I could take the paper off." She held a large bag of ice on his back. "The longer it stayed on, the harder it was to pull off. If Casey hadn't of shown up and grabbed you, skin might have actually come off with the tattoo."

Casey sat on the armrest that was in front of the young boy. "Ya couldn't have gotten some fake tattoo?"

"No. The gang has its own parlor." Flik answered. "If you didn't get the tat from them, then you weren't in."

Raphael sat in an armchair that was next to the couch, facing Flik. He held an ice pack on his shoulder. "Ya don't have anythin' contagious, do ya?"

"You're lucky I didn't draw blood." Flik snapped. "Next time I tell ya to let go, let go."

Leonardo sat on the corner of the coffee tablet, that was in front of the couch. "If he held you right, you shouldn't have been able to bite him."

"He wouldn't have bit me in the first place if you held him too." Raphael retorted.

Leonardo put his hands up. "I wasn't about to get into the middle of that."

"Well now that it's off, we can get you into better clothes. Once your back stops stinging, of course." Racqel told her brother. "And give you a decent hair cut. This long hair doesn't suit you."

"I don't know." Flik rubbed the back of his head. "I kinda learned to like wearing punk stuff." Racqel gave his long hair a pull. "Ah! I'm kidding, I'm kidding."

Master Splinter came into area and took a seat in his armchair. "I see that you two are finally done with your antics." It was on the other side of the coffee table, across from the couch. "Perhaps now you might tell us a little something about yourself."

Michelangelo was already in his beach chair listening to his Walkman. "Oh boy, a story." He cried as he yanked the earphones off. "I love stories."

"What surprises me is that Racqel wasn't sweating you for facts already." Donatello commented as he and April joined everyone. Don took a seat on the couch with the twins, next to Racqel, while April sat in the armchair that was next to his side of the couch.

"I wanted the tattoo off first." Racqel replied.

"So is Flik like a nickname?" April asked.

"Well, I was named Fredrick. But big brother couldn't pronounce it, kept running the letters together and somehow came up with Flik." The young boy answered. "By the time we turned one, both Racqel and I thought that's what my name was. Not like we could have pronounce Fredrick any better than him anyway." He gave a small chuckle. "Drove dad nuts, cause he would keep telling us what my name really was and we would tell him he was wrong. Eventually he gave up and let me keep Flik as a name."

"So what was big brother's name?" Racqel asked eagerly.

"Viktor." Flik responded.

"V-ick-tor." Racqel sounded out. "Viktor." She scrunched up her nose at the name. "Sounds awkward."

"You always like calling him 'Bear'." Flik replied. "You couldn't pronounce his name. So in the beginning you called him Vick or Vicky. And he absolutely hated it when you called him Vicky."

"I bet you couldn't pronounce his name either." Racqel replied, a little miffed.

"Of course I couldn't, not at a young age anyway." A big grin grew onto Flik's face. "So I called him Vicky when you started calling him Bear."

"How did she come up with Bear?" Michelangelo questioned.

"At first it was because of this giant teddy bear he carried around." Flik answered. "But later on he started to look like a bear. I mean he was huge for his age, his hair was always a mess, and his snoring sounded like a growling bear. I assume by now that he must look like some kind of grizzle bear." He gave a bit of a laugh. "He hated his two nicknames, but he let us keep calling him those names."

"He must have let me call him 'Bear' cause I was so adorable." Racqel said with a sickening sweet tone. "And that he loved me so much that he would tolerate me calling him that."

Both Flik and Raph stuck a finger in their mouths while making gagging sounds. "Yeah, you can keep telling yourself that." The young boy told her. "He probably let us call him those names, because he knew his chances of get us to stop were slim to none."

"If I'd a met da guy, I would have told him a sure fire way ta get little brats ta stop callin' me names I don't like." Raphael butted in. "Dangle 'em from a drainpipe by der ankles. Worked fer me."

"Oh yeah." Donatello replied with a roll of his eyes. "That worked really well, Raphie."

Raphael balled up one of his. "Course der are other ways ta get 'em ta stop."

"Behave yourself Raphael." Master Splinter gave the red clad turtle a stern look and he backed down with a minor grunt.

"Ok, you said that I abandon you. But when I told you that our father abandoned me, you got mad." Racqel reminded her brother. "So obviously, there is something you know that I don't. What is it?"

"To tell you the truth, I don't know what happen to you that night." Flik answered. "I just remember rolling over to find you not there. It freaked me out. We were always together, never separated, and then suddenly you were gone. All gone. I had never been so…alone before. Even when you were in another room, you were still with me and I with you. But that night your presence just disappeared."

"I never knew we were so close." Racqel replied in wonderment.

"It was dark and frightening being that alone in my mind. I never got use to being with just my own thoughts." Flik continued. "I guess that's why the collar was able to take me over so easily. Cause I missed having someone else in my head."

"So what happen when you found out you sister was gone?" April asked.

"What every other five-year-old would do when they're scared, cry. I threw an absolute fit." Flik replied. "Dad came rushing into the room to see what the matter was and found Racqel gone. While trying to calm me down enough to find out what happen, Viktor came into the room and told dad that Jason was gone from their room. Dad rushed into Great Grandfather's room to alert him and found that he was missing too."

"It would seem that both young Racqel and Jason were taken." Master Splinter surmised.

"Taken? By Dye Goonya?" Racqel questioned. "Nah." The young girl shook her head. "He wouldn't do something like that and then lie about it later." She gave a laugh at the idea. "We were abandoned by dad."

Flik whipped around to face his sister. "He wouldn't do that." He snapped. "Dad loved us and you know it. There was no way he would get rid of you or Jason."

"Den if they were taken, why didn't he go after dem?" Casey questioned quite rudely. "Unless, of course, he didn't care about 'em."

"I don't know why dad didn't go after them." Flik replied as he turned to look at his uncle. "But I can tell you this, he cared about them just as much as he cared about Viktor and me."

"Oh yeah. I saw how much he cared about ya." Casey said sarcastically. "Let ya get captured by the Purple Dragons really shows he loves ya."

Flik jumped up from his seat so he could be somewhat eye level with his uncle. "What is your problem with my dad?"

"I'll tell you later." Racqel said as she grabbed the young boy's pants and pulled him back down onto his seat. "Right now, I'd like to know what happened between that night ten years ago and you joining the Purple Dragons."

Flik leaned back on the couch. "After that night everything kinda went back to normal. Dad did keep a shaper eye on Viktor and me though."

"Dat's it?" Casey exclaimed. "Two people who he's suppose ta care fer and love, just disappear inta da night and he does nuthin' ta get 'em back? Sounds like abandonment ta me."

"Well…I guess it does when you put it that way." Flik said as he gave the back of his head a quick scratch. "Dad buried himself in his work every day. And every night, he would go out onto the roof top after putting Viktor and I to bed. I don't know why he did that, but I think it had some thing to do with his messenger birds. I remember seeing either Fury or Strike stay with us for a day and then disappear for a couple of days."

"So that's the name of the other falcon we saw in that photograph." Racqel said with a bit of glee. "I was wondering about that."

"Yeah." Flik nodded his head. "When one of them came around it would put dad at ease for awhile."

"So how long did it go like that?" Donatello inquired.

"Four years." Flik answered. "Then one day he announced that we were all going on a trip. After that he packed a bunch of clothes into a suitcase and dumped us on a plane to China. From there, dad took us out to the country where we found this scorched land with the remains of a brunt house in the center of it."

"Wait a minute." Racqel interrupted. "You mean to tell me that dad knew where Jason and I were for four years and it took that long to come for us?" The young girl clutched the (now half melted) bag of ice. "If he bothered to come earlier, at least a year, then Dye Goonya and Jason would still be alive today." She squeezed the bag so tight that it exploded. Cold water with small chunks of ice splattered all over her and on those nearby her.

"I don't know if he knew you all were there or not." Flik said as he wiped the water off his face. "But after finding the burnt land with no sign of either you or Jason, dad took us all over China to search you both. It took two and a half years to cover the whole country and a few of the others surrounding it. But we came up with nothing, not so much as a sign of you two. So dad took us to England to look, just in case. But after a year and a half of searching there, we still didn't have any clues as to where you both might have gone."

"Why was he all of a sudden interested in finding them then than when they first disappeared?" April asked.

Flik shrugged his shoulders. "Dad wasn't one of those people who would speak his mind, even to those he's close to." He gave a small sigh. "With nowhere else to look we went back to New York, but moved to the outskirts of the city rather than move back into it."

The young boy gave his head a scratch. "Guess dad figured that if the Shredder had those we were looking for and he didn't want to give him a chance to add the last two to his collection."

Strangely, he wasn't in a big hurry to look in New York as he was in China and London. He just went straight back to work. I guess he did that cause our trip took up so much of our cash and we weren't having any more coming in without someone working. Plus I don't think he knew where to start looking. So Viktor decided to start looking without dad knowing it, but it was really me that ended up finding out where at least Racqel was.

See, it was during the move that I got this faint feeling that I hadn't had in a long time. For once in eight years, I felt the slight presence of my twin sister. I got so excited that I didn't think of telling dad and I forgot to tell Viktor. I just snuck away one day to find the source of where it was coming from. I used the feeling like a divining rod, following the direction that was the strongest. Eventually I came to this really strange looking skyscraper.

For a couple of weeks I went around doing research and found out that the skyscraper belonged to Oroku Saki. After another week of investigating, I learned that Oroku Saki and the Shredder could be the same person.

Now that I knew the where and who, the next thing I had to plan was getting into the place. So I decided that the best way to getting into the building was to join the Purple Dragons."

"Oh yeah. Dat sounded like a brilliant idea." Raphael scoffed. "Make it easy fer da bad guy ta get ya." The young boy stuck out his tongue out at the red clad turtle. "Real mature."

Flik pulled his tongue back into his mouth. "You don't think I joined up with them without learn a bit about them, did ya?" He asked rhetorically. "I found that if you are at the near top of the chain in the Purple Dragon gang, you get the privilege of going into the skyscraper. So I figure that if I hid myself well enough among the ranks and made it to the top, then I could get in to find Racqel and Jason."

"I can't believe you ran away from home to join the Purple Dragons." Racqel exclaimed. "True that you were able to hide within them for over a year, but they still found you out. Shouldn't you have told dad and big brother, in case something like that would have happen? Then at least you would have had back up."

"Come on." Casey waved a hand at his niece. "Da minute he came back ta New York he should have been out lookin' fer ya. But instead he decided he was gonna work. So of course Flik wouldn't have told him anythin', cause he knew dat da guy wasn't gonna do anythin'."

"I did tell Viktor and dad." Flik told his uncle and sister. "When I came home dad really laid into me for disappearing on him like I did. Then I told him of my plan and he was totally against it. But I was so determined that my plan was good that I did runaway from home to join."

"Your dad must have been livid." Michelangelo laughed.

"Probably." Flik replied. "But at the time all I could think about was getting into the skyscraper."

"So you figured that you would just go up into the skyscraper, take out all of the Foot and the Shredder on you own?" Racqel questioned.

"Well..." A sheepish look came onto Flik's face. "The next part of my plan was going to come up once I actually got in."

"Well dad had to have known you were in trouble." Racqel replied. "I mean there were two surveillance birds and since Fury was with me, Strike had to be with him."

"…I suppose." Flik answered.

"So why didn't he come to help you out or back you up? Why didn't he keep Hun from capturing you?" Racqel inquired

"I don't know." Flik said while he shrugged his shoulders.

Racqel threw her arms up into the air. "Well then I'm lost." She declared. "This guy is all over the radar. I don't know whether I should love him or hate him."

"You don't honestly believe that dad would abandon you, do you?" Flik asked with surprise. "He's our dad."

"One minute he's worried and the next he could care less." Racqel replied. "How am I supposed to form some sort of feeling for a guy like that. Besides, he hasn't been in my life for over ten years. Why should I sweat over what I feel for him?"

"I haven't seen you for just as long and yet I still care about you." Flik stated firmly. "And I thought you abandoned me."

"Yeah, at five-years-old I thought I had enough. So I climbed out of the crib and hitched-hiked to China." Racqel countered with a smirk and her brother rolled his eyes at her. "Besides, you've been with dad all this time and yet you can't defend his weird actions." Flik crossed his arms and bit his lower lip.

"Let's change the subject." Leonardo interjected.

"Ta what?" Raphael asked.

Leonardo searched for an idea. "Um…"

"Oh, I know." Michelangelo piped. "How about an explanation about the rose that Flik's got on his shoulder? Why does it change colors? How many colors does it have? How come the blue rose on Racqel darkened when she was drowning him?"

Flik stared at the orange clad turtle for a moment before looking at Racqel. "Didn't you tell them about the roses?"

"I don't know anything about them." Racqel replied. "All I know is that I've had them for a long time."

Flik blinked. "You don't know?" He breathed and the young girl shook her head. "Those roses around you neck are our connection."

"Connection?" Donatello questioned. "Connection to what?"

"Us to her, her to us." Flik answered. "I have a rose, Viktor has one, dad, Jason, and Great Grandfather. Each color rose represents one of us and when we're together, it shows it." He pointed to the rose on his shoulder, but was dumbfounded by what he saw. "I don't get it. I've never seen this many colors before, nor have I even seen these colors."

"What do you mean?" April asked.

"The most colors I've had were two, yellow and black." Flik replied. "Those were the color of dad and Viktor's roses. But I've never seen these other colors before." The rose on his shoulder should was red, blue, orange, magenta, and white. "I know the white is Racqel, and Jason was red, and Great Grandfather was magenta. But they're not here so those colors shouldn't show up on my rose. And as for the others, I don't know about them either."

"Well the colors have to belong to people in this room." Leonardo pointed out. "But the question is, is there a way of finding out?"

"Um…yeah." Flik answered with a nod. "See when I stand next to someone who has a rose on their shoulder, mine and theirs change to show."

"I remember seeing that when I took you away from Casey and the guys." Racqel piped. "So what you're saying is that if we have you stand next to one of the guys, maybe that would answer the question of the other colors. Right?"

"Worth a shot." Flik said as he got up off the couch. "So who wants to be a part of this little experiment?"

"I don't know, it sounds kind of weird." Michelangelo admitted.

"Ridiculous is more like it." Raphael said with a snort. "I mean, who wants ta know der connected ta someone?"

"I'll do it." Donatello announced as he jumped up. "It sounds so scientifically impossible, but I just gotta see it happen."

"Ok." Flik waved a beckoning hand. "We don't have to stand to far away from the others, but enough to get out their radius." He walked about a yard away from the couch, causing his rose turned from all those colors to a nice blue. Don walked over to the young boy and the rose turned purple.

"Well dat was a no brainer." Raphael razzed. "Of course the rose would be purple if Donnie is next ta him."

"I think the point of the experiment was seeing if the colors were us or not." Leonardo told him.

"Ok, but what about the magenta color?" Michelangelo asked.

"Casey?" Racqel asked.

"I ain't got no rose on me." Casey replied.

"How are they registering if they don't have rose on their shoulder?" April inquired.

"It could be on the back of their shoulders and their shells are hiding them." Racqel suggested.

"Why would we have them on our backs?" Donatello questioned.

"I don't know." Racqel said with a shrug. "Everyone could be different."

"So who is the magenta?" Michelangelo asked with some insistence in his tone.

"April?" Racqel suggested.

"I don't have a rose, front or back." April answered.

"Then I guess the magenta color must belong to Master Splinter." Donatello surmised. "It would be under his fur."

"Only one way to find out." Flik said as he walked over to the elder rat. In passing Leo and Raph, the rose turned half red and half blue. When he got to Splinter, the halves turned into thirds as the magenta color added to it. "Yup."

"Most fascinating." The rat master said with interest.

"Wait a minute." Racqel piped. "You said Dye Goonya was magenta, did you mean regular or dark?"

An uncomfortable look came onto Flik's face. "Well…Great Grandfather's rose was a regular magenta…. But since he's dead, it turned dark." The young boy rubbed the back of his head anxiously. "See, if someone dies, the rose will turn dark. Except for dad's black rose, it would turn a pastel black for obvious reasons."

"Then that would explain why that blue rose near Racqel's right shoulder darkened when she was drowning Flik." Donatello pointed out.

"I wish we'd stop bring that back up." Racqel said with a roll of her eyes. "It was bad enough doing it, but to be reminded of it is worse."

"So roses from the middle of her neck to the right shoulder are everyone from her family…and him." Donatello said in a musing tone. "The roses from the middle to the left shoulder would be us and sensei." He rubbed his chin with one of his hands. "And if someone dies, the roses darken."

"What are ya getting' at Einstein?" Raphael asked rudely.

Donatello hesitated to answer. He wasn't sure if he, himself, would have like the point forming his head. "Never mind." He said with the wave of his hand. "Just thinking out loud. That's all."

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**Disclaimer:** Viktor is from Suikoden, a Konomi product. Why have Flik without Viktor. (wink)

_A/N2: Ok, so here was a little more information about the family and some about the roses. Obviously I'm hinting towards something, but you'll have to wait to see what that is. But feel free to try figuring it out on your own. (Who knows, you might be right.)_

_BTW: There will be more explaining about the roses later. How they got it will be in another story, a prelude to this one. I just have to write it._


	21. Nothing In Common

_A/N: Wow, an update so quickly. 00; The world must be coming to an end or something._

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**Nothing in Common**

For a whole week Donatello had been up in April's shop, looking about as miserable as he felt. Throughout the time April has given the young turtle his space, trying her best not to pry. But try as she might, she could not ignore the notion that something was troubling him and that she wanted to find out what.

"Okay, spill it." The young woman finally said in an ordering tone. "Why have you been moping around up here?"

Donatello put the tips of his middle finger and thumb into his mouth. "I'd rather not say. It makes me out to be such a jerk."

April smacked his hand away so she could understand him better. "I'll determine that as soon as you tell me what bothering you."

"It's…it's…Flik." Donatello answered with some hesitation.

"What about him?" April inquired with great interest. "He's seems to be a great kid and Racqel is ecstatic to have found him."

Again Donatello put the tip of his thumb into mouth and again it was smacked away. "I'm glad that she found him and all, but…." He bit his lower lip, because he just didn't want to say what was on his mind. "But ever since then I've found it hard to get some alone time with Racqel."

"Well…" April rested a hand on the back of her head. "You have to understand that the two of them hadn't seen each other for almost ten years. They have a lot of catching up to do, so they're going to want to hang out."

"They're practically inseparable." Donatello exclaimed. "Don't get me wrong. I'm glad that Racqel has her brother back, cause now she has someone backing her up when Raphie picks on her out of spite or fun. And she was kinda getting depressed not having any other family around besides Casey. So having Flik show up like he did made her feel better." The purple clad turtle gave a deep sigh. "But they spend almost every minute together. Even when they are apart they're still together." He had to restraining himself from getting into the young woman's face. "Do you know what it's like making out with someone, only to have them start giggling cause they were told a joke through telepathy? Or having to repeat yourself cause they were busy listening to what someone else was saying in their head while you were talking to them?"

April shook her head. "No, not really."

"Well it's absolutely annoying." Donatello retorted. "And that's not all. Around the lair Racqel is not known as Racqel any more than Flik is know as Flik. I mean why waste time asking about Racqel and Flik when it is much easier saying 'twins this' and 'twins that'. 'Where are the twins?' or 'What are the twins making for dinner?'. Plus they've started to dress so almost alike, it not even cute."

"I can't believe you jealous." April laughed.

"I knew it." Donatello said while slamming a fist on his knee. "I knew I was coming out like a jerk."

"No you're not. You're just frustrated, that's all." April put a comforting hand on the distraught turtle's shoulder. "I have a feeling that there is something more, isn't there?"

Donatello pressed his two fingers together, making an arch with them. "…yeah." He cleared his throat. "Seeing them together made me realize that Racqel and I have absolutely nothing in common. And if we don't have anything in common, how in the world is this relationship going to work out."

"What are you talking about?" April exclaimed. "Of course it will work out if you want it to. It doesn't matter on if you have anything common or not. Don't you know of the saying, 'Opposites attract'?"

"But we're so opposite that if we were magnets, we would be repelling each other." Donatello said with a sigh in his voice. "She's into fairytales and fiction, while I'm in to sci-fi and non fiction. She can do things that defy the laws of logic and I need logic to explain everything. While I'm making scientific breakthroughs, she off messing with black magic that shouldn't even exist. I can calculate the square root of pi in my head and she…can at least use a calculator." The young turtle flopped down into his seat and put his head on the counter. "I bet Jason had a lot of things in common with her and he didn't make her feel inferior or anything."

"You can't go comparing yourself to her last boyfriend." April scolded.

"That's what Racqel said." Donatello replied. "I keep asking her to tell me about her and Jason so I can get a few notes on what I could do. But she won't tell me. Says she doesn't want me to copy him and that I should come up with things on my own."

"And she is absolutely right." April said with the nod of her head. "It's no secret that we girls are always comparing old boyfriends with the new ones. So you don't want to do the same thing her last one did, cause then she'll be thinking about him and not you. You get what I'm saying?"

"I guess so." Donatello answered. "It's just that I have not experience in this. I don't know what to do."

"Nobody has any experience in this." April informed him. "True that Racqel has had a prior relationship, but it doesn't mean that she's experienced." Don picked his head up and cocked an eyebrow at the young woman. "You know what I mean."

Donatello crossed his arms behind his head. "I guess I could learn to like something she likes. Than at least we could have something in common."

"Why you?" April asked.

"Cause it's only fair." Donatello answered. "I mean Racqel has been learning how to live with us. She was the one who had to make thing work with my brothers."

Now it was April's turn to cock an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Well…yeah." Donatello replied. "Racqel had to get Mikey over losing his second room, earn Leon's trust, and put up with Raphie's taunts."

"So what are you going to do?" April asked.

"Um…I was thinking about learning to play an instrument." Donatello answered sheepishly. "Racqel really likes music, especially playing it. When they're not playing or training, Flik and she play their chosen instruments. They're really good too. I figure that if I could learn to play something, I could join in with them or maybe just play with her."

A smile slid across April's face. "That sounds really nice. But what do you want to learn to play."

"Hmmm…" Donatello put a finger to his cheek. "Something that goes well with a trumpet and a flute."

"How about a violin?" Casey asked. He had entered the shop just as Don was thinking out loud. "I could teach ya how ta play one."

"You!" April cried.

"Yes me." Casey answered in an insulted tone. "Ya don't think I can't play one?"

"You are the clumsiest man I know." April joshed. "So yeah, it would be kind of hard for me to imagine you playing something as delicate and beautiful as a violin."

"Well I'll show ya." Casey retorted. "Ya got one in stock? Mine's at home."

"I'm sure it is." April strolled around the counter in order to get into the backroom. "In about a million pieces I bet." She said in a lowered voice and Don covered his mouth to hide his snickering smile.

"Keep it up turtle boy and I just may take back my offer." Casey warned.

"That may be a good thing." April teased as she came out with a violin and bow in her hands. "Now I want you to be extremely careful with this. It's not super expensive, but I think I could get a great price on it."

Casey took of his gloves and tossed them to the side before snatching the instrument from the red haired woman. "Yeah, yeah." He plucked the strings, one at a time, to test their durability. "They'll need to be changed, but they'll do for right now." Then he ran the bow across them. "Needs a bit of tunin'. Got a tunin' fork?"

"Aren't we acting all professional." April joshed as she crouched down behind the counter. "Luckily for you I do." She came back up holding the U-shape tool.

"Just give it a ring der and I'll have dis thing tuned up." Casey told her. April couldn't help rolling her eyes and shrugging her shoulders at the big man, but she did as she was told. After a few minutes, the dark haired was ready play. "Alright lady and mutant, prepare yerselves." Casey told them and Don jokingly put his hands over his ears. "Yer really pushin' it, ya know dat?"

"Sorry." Donatello said sheepishly while taking his hands down. "Please go ahead."

Casey tucked the violin under his chin and closed his eyes. "I hope I remember how dis went."

April and Don squinted their eyes and bit their lower lips, so as not to say anything rude while the dark haired man would be playing. With nervous anticipation they waited to hear something that might resemble a screeching cat. But to their amazement, that wasn't what came out of the violin. Instead it was the beautiful, sorrowful, soothing tune of 'Ave Maria' that flowed from the strings of the instrument.

Donatello and April opened their eyes to see Casey standing intelligently erected. A complete opposite to the young man's usual slouching stature. His face showed that he was deeply focused on what he played, so as not to make any errors in the piece. Throughout the piece April and Don were afraid to breathe, because they didn't want to break Casey's concentration.

"That…that was amazing." April stuttered.

"That'll make ya think twice before pokein' fun at someone before knowin' what dey could do." Casey said while giving a sharp nod.

"But…but why do you know how to play?" April questioned.

"What? A man can't just learn sumpthin' fer da fun of it?" Casey asked in an insulted tone. No one dared to answer his question. "Alright. If ya must know, my old man wanted me ta."

"I don't get it." Donatello piped. "You said that your dad wanted you to act like a man. Playing something like the violin wouldn't fit into his way of thinking."

"It was another Jones's tradition fer da eldest boy ta learn and my dad was all about traditions." Casey answered. "My dad learned how ta play and his dad before him and his dad before him. I ferget how that tradition started, maybe I'll ask ma to remind me."

"So wouldn't your brother have learned to play rather than you?" Donatello inquired. "This sounds like something more up his alley."

"I told you, dad made me number one." Casey said in a heated tone. "So everythin' dat Severus was supposed ta know went down ta me."

"So you said that you'll teach me to play, right?" Donatello reminded. "You will still teach me."

"Yeah, I'll teach ya." Casey answered. "It's gonna be difficult though, cause ya only got three fingers and dis instrument kinda requires five. But I think we can get around dat little problem." The young man gave his chin a rub. "You'll have to learn how ta flatten you fingers on strings and not rest 'em on others." He said in a thoughtful tone. "Yeah, dat's what were gonna have ta do."

"Whatever. I'm ready to learn." Donatello said eagerly. But then a troubled look came onto his face. "I just realize that I have one little problem."

"What's dat?" Casey asked.

"I don't own a violin and I don't have the money to get one." Donatello answered.

"You can have the one I have." April told the young turtle.

"But I can't pay you for it." Donatello replied.

April waved a hand at him. "Don't worry about it. You've done a ton of repairs around here."

"And I'll help ya get some new string fer it." Casey added. "In no time, ya'll be sweepin' Racqel off her feet with your playin'."

Weeks later, and to Casey's surprise, the young turtle was playing at what would be considered 'concert material'. "It's like yer one of dem prodigies." He praised. "If Julliard took in mutants, ya'd be at da top of der list."

"Well once I got my fingering down and made it all into a science, it wasn't all that hard to learn the pieces." Donatello replied. "I think I might be ready to play."

**Down in the lair…**

Flik counted as he brushed his twin sister's hair long brown hair. "85…86…87…"

Michelangelo had been doing his best to mess him up. "10…56…39…"

The twins were sitting on the couch in the T.V. area and Michelangelo was sitting in his beach chair. No longer in punk clothes Flik was dressed in a white t-shirt, dark blue jeans, and wore light blue hightop shoes. Thinking that he would look so handsome in this fashion, Racqel had his brown hair was cut short (almost close to the neck) and a blue bandanna was tied around his head.

Racqel was reading a book. "Every night you've bush my hair." The young girl said at one point. She was dressed in a white t-shirt, dark red jeans, and red lowtop shoes. "Why and why a hundred strokes?"

"Because it would make your hair silkier and shinier, or so dad says." Flik answered. "I kinda remember watching him do this to you ever night. He would say what pretty hair you had and that it should be shown to its greatest potential."

"But a hundred times? It seems so tedious and stuff." Racqel replied. "I don't see why it couldn't look just the same after running a comb through it a couple of times and I don't see you doing it for your own hair."

"I'm a guy. I don't need to worry about that kind of thing." Flik told her. "Besides, you want to look your best for you-know-who, don't you?"

"Of course I do." Racqel practically exclaimed. "But still, all this brushing?"

"Relax, I'm done now." Flik said as he tossed the brush onto the coffee table.

"No you're not." Michelangelo piped. "You still have ten more strokes to go."

"You can't make me lose count." Flik told the orange clad turtle. "Ever time I sit down to brush, you try that tiresome joke. When are you going to get it that you can't mess me up?"

"There's always a chance." Michelangelo replied.

Flik rolled his eyes. "I suppose."

"Now that you brought up Donnie, it's got me thinking." Racqel put her book down on the coffee table. "He's been acting awfully strangely of late. For weeks now he's been leaving the lair to go…who knows where. And he's hardly talking to me." She looked over at Mike. "You don't think he mad at me or anything, do you?"

"Nah." Michelangelo waved a hand at the young girl. "You've done nothing wrong to make him mad at you. But I do think that he might be a little frustrated."

"Frustrated?" Racqel questioned. "About what?"

"I don't know." Michelangelo said with a shrug. "But I can recognize the look of frustration on his face. I've seen it before when he's working on something."

A thoughtful look came onto Racqel's face. "I should do something for him." Suddenly she snapped her fingers. "I got it and it will be perfect." A giant smile took over the thoughtful look. "Come on." She grabbed her brother's hand.

"Where are we going?" Flik asked as his sister dragged him towards the front door. "What are we getting?"

"I'll tell you when we get there." Racqel replied.

Just as the two humans leave through the front door, Donatello came in to the lair by way of the elevator with a case under his arm. "Where's Racqel?" He asked Mike.

"You just missed her." Michelangelo told him. "She left a couple of seconds ago with Flik."

"Da two were holdin' hands." Raphael piped. He was in the kitchen doorway.

"But…but she promised that she was going to be here when I got back." Donatello stammered.

"Well it looks like she broke her promise now, doesn't it?" Raphael snapped. "I swear da why da twins are actin', it ain't natural."

"It's Racqel and Flik!" Donatello shouted. "They are two different people!"

"Not by da way der actin'." Raphael retorted. "Face it. She'd rather spend time with dat boy den with ya anymore. Perhaps ya should suggest dey date each other."

Donatello went to say something in defense of Racqel and/or her brother, but couldn't come up anything. The reason why he couldn't up with anything was because Raph's last comment got him thinking. What if Racqel was in love with her brother? She's has been awfully affection with him. Her taking his hand sometimes and he brushing her hair. "I…I'm going up to my room." Don finally said. "I think I need some time to think."

"Say Donnie, what's in the case?" Michelangelo asked as he saw his brother head upstairs.

"Hmmm?" Donatello looked down at the case. "Nothing." The young turtle said with a sigh. "Just something I was going…nothing." He entered his room and closed the door behind him.

Leonardo entered the main room from the dojo. "I can't believe you said something like that about Racqel, let alone say it to Donnie." He scolded. "You know shelling well that Racqel took Flik with her to go get something for him."

"Dat's what she wants us ta think." Raphael replied angrily. "Fer der past weeks she's been makin' Donnie feel bad, cause she spends so much time with her brother. And I am gonna give her a piece of my mind about dat when she gets back here."

"Sure ya could spare it?" Michelangelo teased. An empty soda can sailed across the room and ricochets off his head. "Ow. Geez, can't anyone take a joke anymore."

"Insults aren't jokes." Raphael groused before storming off back into the kitchen.

**Sometime later…**

Racqel and Flik came walking into the lair. The young girl hugged something that was black and folded in her arms. "He is so going to love this." She practically squealed.

"After what you went through to get it, he better." Flik stated sternly.

"It wasn't that much trouble." Racqel said as she looked around the room.

Michelangelo was still sitting in front of the many televisions, Leonardo must have either went to his own room or back into the dojo, and Raphael was still fuming in the kitchen.

With no knowledge of what happen just after she left, Racqel glided over to the couch. "Hey Mikey, Donnie isn't home yet is he?" The young girl asked.

"Yup." Michelangelo answered. "He's up in his room, sulking."

"Sulking?" Racqel questioned. "Why?"

"Apparently you were suppose to be here when he go back." Michelangelo answered.

"But I didn't know when he was going to back when I left." Racqel told the orange clad turtle. "I was hoping to be back before him, but I guess it took longer than I thought." The young girl looked up towards Don's room. "I better go talk to him." She flew up to the young turtle's door and knocked on it. "Donnie? I'm back."

"That's great." Donatello's muffled voice said through the door. "Ya want a medal or something?"

"I'm sorry I wasn't here when you got back, honest." Racqel told him. "I just had to go out and do something really important."

"Sure, with your brother." Donatello's voice, still muffled, started to become a bit louder as footsteps came to the door.

"I took Flik with me so he could help." Racqel replied. "And I knew he wouldn't want me to leave him alone."

"Of course you wouldn't want to leave him alone." Donatello threw open the door. "You're so in love with your brother."

"What is that suppose to mean?"

"Means you should be dating him since you like spending so much time with him."

"Don't be that way." Racqel begged. "I'm sorry I've been spending so much time with him. Really."

"Save it." Donatello snapped. "Just…just leave me alone." He slammed the door in her face.

"But…but…" Tears welled up in Racqel's eyes. "I…I…" She dashed from the second level down to the first and into her room.

Flik glared up at Don's door. "He had no right to do that to her." He stated angrily and flew up to the purple clad turtle's door. "I'm coming in."

"Not without my permission." Donatello retorted.

Flik kicked open the door. "I don't need your stinkin' permission." He told Don angrily. "Where do you get off treating my sister like that?"

"Where did she get off dumping?"

"Just cause she isn't spending every waking minute with you doesn't mean she dumping you."

"Of course she isn't spending every minute with me, that because she's spending it with you."

"You're jealous."

"Maybe I am, but she's my girlfriend. I think I deserve to spend some time with her and without _you_." The 'you' came out quite venomously.

"You don't know what it's like to lose a family member that you are really close to. Of course I hope you never have to know what it feels like to lose one of your brothers, but you can't understand what I'm going through until you do. Now I'm sorry that I'm a bit clinging and I'm trying my best not to be. But you have got to be patient. Taking your frustration out on Racqel isn't going to make anyone feel any better, especially you."

"What you mean by that?"

"Well…it's a secret, but Racqel got you something really special. Something that she's sure you're going to like a lot and she went to a lot of trouble to get it. So I'm sure you're going to feel like a complete heel when she finally gives it to you. That is…if she's still going to give it to you."

"What is it?"

Flik turned his back on the tech-knowing turtle. "I'm not telling." He walked out of the room and closed the door behind him, leaving Don alone with his thoughts.

Back down on the first level Flik went into the room he now shared with his sister. A bed was added to the room for him, on the opposite wall of Racqel's. Of course there had to be some rearranging, some reorganizing, and vanity dresser and display case shelves had to be moved back into storage in order to make room.

The young boy spied his sister, asleep on the bed. "Looks like she cried herself to sleep."

The black fabric that his sister hugged when she first entered the lair was now a crumpled mess on the desk. Apparently she tossed it there when she was running to flop onto her bed to cry. Seeing Racqel shiver, Flik picked up the black item and it unfolded fully.

Turns out that it was a black jacket with a few minor tears and was almost as tall as he was. He brought the jacket over to his sister to lay upon her like a blanket. With it on her, Racqel stop shivering and clutched the jacket around her. Then he brushed a bit of hair out of her face before leaving the room.

**Somewhere around midnight…**

Racqel was awakened by her ears twitching. Somewhere outside her room someone was playing a radio. It wasn't loud, but it was enough to be heard. The young girl opened her eyes and sits up. The jacket that was on her fell off, revealing to her how cool it really was in the room. Shivering she slipped the jacket on and looks around the dark room. Flik is asleep in his bed, oblivious to the music. Evidently he did not have the sharp hearing the young girl had.

Curious as to why someone would be playing music at this time of night, Racqel slips off her bed and goes out of her room. She follows the sorrowful music, which was getting clearer with every step she takes, till she was at the entrance of the kitchen. From there she peeks around the archway to see that it wasn't a radio playing. Her eyes glisten with awe as she watched Don swaying with his violin.

Never in her life had she seen anyone play the instrument in person. How gracefully the young turtle moved, dipping and rocking. So mesmerized was the young girl at this sight, that she didn't want to even blink for fear that it would all disappear. And the sorrowfulness of the tune flowing into her ears tugged at her heart. Afraid to speak, afraid to breath, Racqel softly entered the kitchen and took a seat in one of the chairs by the table. As she stared, the young girl put her head into her hands and her elbows on the table. Donatello didn't even know she was there, because his back was to the entrance. When he was done, the young turtle let his bow arm go limp and set the violin down on the counter in front of him.

Finding her voice, Racqel says, "That was beautiful." This startled Don and he spun around to see her sitting at the kitchen table. "Is that what you've been doing all this time? Was that what you wanted me here for when you came home?"

Donatello rested his free hand on his head. "…yeah." His cheeks turned a slight pink. "I wanted to learn something you liked and I also knew that you liked classical music too. Plus I wanted to be something that could accompany you and you brother, so you didn't have to leave him out if you didn't want to."

Sadly Racqel looked down at the kitchen table. "I'm sorry that I've been spending so much time with him. It's just that…well…I missed having a family of my own and he…"

Donatello sat down in a chair next to her. "You don't have to explain." He put the violin bow down so he could lift up the young girl head. "I understand."

A smile grew onto Racqel face as she rubbed a few stray tears from her eyes. "Oh that's right." The young girl jumped from her seat suddenly. "I got you something." She whipped the jacket off, ignoring the cold, and held it out to him. "This is for you."

Surprised, Donatello stood up and took the long black jacket from Racqel. With a furrow brow he studied the clothing, noting that the sleeves were too thin for his arms and that it would never go around his shell. Lost at to why the young girl would give him something he could not wear, he looked at her for an answer.

"Don't you recognize it?" Racqel asked eagerly and Don shook his head. "It's from the Matrix." The young girl answered gleefully. "That is one of the actual jackets Neo wore. This was tattered to show wear from one of the fights he was in."

Donatello started at the jacket, he couldn't believe his eyes. "But…but how did you get one of these? You didn't steal it, did you?"

"Of course not." Racqel practically squealed. "See, one of the wardrobe people is a friend of one of the trainers who trained the actors. That trainer is a cousin of the uncle of granddaughter of the guy who trained with Dye Goonya. And the wardrobe person is also a witch. Anyway, I had knowledge of this special magic fabric that I knew she would want. So I went out to get that and traded it for the jacket."

"I'm not going to ask how you knew or to have you repeat all that." Donatello told the young girl with a smile.

"I appreciate that." Racqel laughed. "So do you like it?"

"I love it." Donatello replied.

For a moment there was silence, neither human nor turtle knew what to say next.

"So…have you eaten yet?" Racqel eventually asks. "Cause I haven't."

"I don't suppose a protein bar counts for anything, does it?" Donatello asked.

"I don't think so." Racqel said while shaking her head. "I could whip us up something."

"That would be great." Donatello picked up his violin and bow. "Maybe you'd like me to play while you cook?"

"I would love it."

* * *

_A/N2: Yup, I gave Casey some class. And before anyone could say I've error, I thought about this in every way and figured that a being with three fingers could play the violin (it be difficult, but they could do it). _

_As for having a bit of conflict, what's a relationship without some tension here or there to make it grow stronger? I mean I can't always have it be cutesy. Right?_


	22. Notes From the Underground

_A/N: I finally finished the next chapter (yay). I've had so many other stories going through my head of late I never thought I could get back to this one._

_Anyway, I would assume by seeing the title that you all know this is a rewrite of an episode. But I think I remember telling that this would happen. However this isn't a total rewrite, it's more like some behind the scenes of it._

* * *

**Notes From the Underground**

Michelangelo and Flik sat in front of the multiple televisions, their eyes glued to a horror movie. The face of a weird looking creature appeared on the screen before cutting to a woman screaming as she threw her arms around a man's neck. "Doctor I've never seen anything like it." She said to him.

The man on the screen replies, "Me neither Velma. I' rapidly become convinced," Michelangelo joins him in saying, "there are some things that man was never meant to tamper with."

Both the turtle with the orange bandanna and the boy with the blue one lean closer to the televisions, their breath stifle, waiting to see what happens next. But a guy dress like a cowboy appeared on the screen instead. "Friends, I must be insane." The man said while holding up a ladybug. "I'll eat a bug to sell you a car." While the man munched on the red bug, Mike dug his hand around a chip bag to finding it empty. After tossing the bag he turned off the televisions.

"Hey!" Flik exclaimed. "What about the movie?"

"Aw I'm bored with it. These movies always end the same anyway." Michelangelo got up off the floor and stretches. "Let's go bug Donnie and Racqel."

"But we promised we wouldn't." Flik reminded.

Michelangelo waved a hand at the boy. "Donnie's working on something in his lab and Racqel is just watching. Besides, it's the job of a younger brother to bug his older ones."

"But you and your brothers are the same age." Flik pointed out. "As are Racqel and I. I mean we are twins."

"Yeah, well…" Michelangelo rubbed his head. "See I tend to act younger, so that's how I'm dubbed the youngest. As for you, the way you act around and towards Racqel makes you seem like you're younger than she is."

"Maybe by a couple of minutes."

"Who cares, let's go bug them anyway."

"Ok."

The two wander over to Don's subway car lab. The purple clad turtle was looking at a crystal through his microscope. Racqel was leaning against the table looking at another crystal that was similar to the one he had.

Michelangelo squeezed between his brother and Racqel, so he could look over the tech-turtle's shoulder. Racqel saw the grin on both newcomers and knew what they were up to. Rolling her eyes the young girl set the crystal down next to the microscope and willing moved to the other side of Don.

"Hey Donnie, whatchya doin'?" The orange clad turtle asked in his bugging tone.

"I'm checking out these crystals we found around the lair." Donatello answered, ignorant of his brother's true intention to the visit. "I'm trying to classify them, but…." The purple clad turtle went from his microscope to a book. "I can't find anything like them in the books. The microsoftic structure is linked, almost like…mutated brain cells." Mike mimicked a horror theme while getting close to Don's face. "I beg your pardon?"

Flik leaned the upper half of his body on the table, putting him behind his sister and close to the microscope. "We just finished watching some late night monster movie." He answered, while looking at the strange crystal in front of him.

Michelangelo flashed Don's desk lamp up onto his face and quoted from the movie, "Perhaps there are some things man was never meant to tamper with." He took up the two crystals that were on the table. "Nothing says a turtle can't tamper though."

Donatello let out a frustrated sigh at his youngest brother while putting his head in his hand. He watched as Racqel covered her mouth to muffle a laugh and Flik shook his head with a small smile. "Don't encourage him." The turtle scolded.

"Sorry." The twins snickered.

Looking around at the three people, Michelangelo absentmindedly let the two crystals touch each other and a high-pitched whine came as a result of the action. He looked down with confusion at the crystals in his hands. Don jumped out of his chair and Flik pushed himself up off the table. Racqel covered her ears as she straightened up, because the sound was like a sharp pain to her sensitive ears. All three looked cautiously at the crystals.

As the high-pitched whine continued, others come out of their rooms. "Donatello! What is it?" Master Splinter asked sternly. "What is happening?"

Leonardo let out a yawn while before both he and Raphael jump down from the second level of the lair. "What's with da noise?" The red clad turtle asked as he and his brother walked over with Splinter to Don's lab.

"I'm…not quite sure." Donatello answered while using a pair of tongs to lift one crystal off the other. Racqel let out a relieved sigh as she brought her hand down.

"Are we in any danger Donatello?" Master Splinter questioned with concern.

The purple clad turtle looked at the crystal in the tongs while trying to explain what had happened. "Maybe the harmonics of the energy signature of the crystal's structure…?"

"Ya don't know, do ya?" Raphael asked rudely.

"Not a clue." Donatello answered with a sigh.

Michelangelo came up behind the two of them. "I started the whole thing."

"And you're proud of that?" Flik questioned.

"Of course he is." Racqel answered with a bit of a laugh.

Suddenly an alarm went off, causing everyone to look around the lair. "Now what is it?" Leonardo inquired.

Donatello went over to his computer. "Something tripped a perimeter alarm in one of the old subway tunnels."

Everyone went over to the tech-turtle's computer and watched the monitor. Some kind of shadow flashes right by. "Whoa." Raphael gasped.

Leonardo leaned in to get a better look at the monitor. "What in the name of…?"

"Da sewer rats are getting' bigger dis year." Raphael said while bring out his Sais.

"Yeah, time to cut the cheese." Michelangelo piped in, causing everyone to let out a groan. "That's not what I meant."

Leonardo gave an order. "Let's roll." Everyone, expect Splinter, dashed out the door and Donatello grabbed his bag along the way. They took the Sewer Slider through the sewers at top speed. After a bit Leo says, "Let's not announce ourselves. Switch to stealth mode."

Donatello complied by pushing up a lever and the suddenly the Slider becomes quiet. They continue going that way until they get to the spot where the alarm was tripped and Don stops the vehicle so that everyone could jump out to investigate the area.

"Nothin'." Raphael said.

"Don't be too sure." Donatello replied as he shown a flashlight up at some strange tracks in the ceiling. "This is odd." He followed the tracks to a large hole.

"What have you got?" Leonardo inquired.

"Some kind of weird tracks." Donatello answered. "It's almost like they are melted right into the stone." He walked over to the hole with everyone following him.

"Whatever it was, it tunneled right through da cement." Raphael stated.

Donatello handed his flashlight over to Raph so that he could take a plastic bag and a rock hammer out of his bag. "Looks like the molecules have become un-bonded." He said while hammering at a piece of rock. "Maybe some kind of catalyst?" A piece came off and lands into the bag. "Or an acid?"

Leonardo looked back at the twins. "You older brother can do things with rock, right? Think he could do something like this?"

Racqel shrugged, she didn't know. "He can do stuff like mold it, move it, and manipulate it." Flik answered. "But melt it? I don't think so."

Suddenly Michelangelo started to freak out. "Ok, this is the part in the monster movie where the first attack happens." He stammered. "The first guy never makes it. Need I say more?"

"Just calm down Mikey until we find out what this is." Leonardo said sternly. "What is this?" He asked the purple clad turtle.

"Another mystery." Donatello replied while putting his bag back on. "One thing is for sure though." Mike joined him in saying, "I've never seen anything like it."

"That's it. I'm outta here." Michelangelo ran for the Sewer Slider and jumped onto the back of it. He brought out his nunchuks, twirling them as he looked in all directions.

"Hey what do ya get when ya cross a turtle and a chicken?" Raphael asked rhetorically. "Mikey."

"I need to get back anyway." Donatello said as everyone headed for the Slider. "To analyze this and figure out just what we're dealing with here."

**Back at the lair…**

Donatello poured a green liquid onto the rock sample he had collected. Steam came from the rock, but nothing happens to it. He let out a 'hmmm' while scratching his chin.

"Was that a good 'hmmm' or a bad 'hmmm'?" Michelangelo questioned as he ran over to his tech-brother. "Because this is the one part in the movie where we should be looking for the monster's one weakness or we can kiss our shells good-bye. Trust me, you don't want to underestimate a monster!" Raphael threw his cup of water into Mike's face, because he was tired of his brother's franticness. "Thanks." The orange clad turtle said after shaking the water off.

"What can you tell us Donatello?" Master Splinter inquired.

"It looked like that creature melted right through the stone." Donatello answered while taking off his protective facemask. "Being able to liquefy stone is the perfect ability for a sub terrain life form."

'_Defiantly not Viktor._' Flik sent to his sister. '_Last I knew, he was still human. At least I think he is. You know, he really could be part bear._'

'_Shhh._' Racqel sent back. '_Be serious for moment._'

"I am getting answers that mean more questions." Master Splinter stated. "A wise strategist gathers all his information before deciding course of action."

Leonardo got up from his meditation position. "Anybody up for a fact finding mission?"

"If sumpthin' is out der lookin' fer us, I say we find it first." Raphael piped.

"All in favor, say aye." Leonardo ordered. There were three 'ayes' and a 'meep' from Mike. "Good enough."

"Good luck my sons." Master Splinter told them as they moved out to gather supplies. "May you return safely."

"Yes my brothers." Michelangelo said in mock Splinter voice. "Good luck to you."

"Come on." Raphael grabbed his youngest brother by the ends of his bandanna and pulled him along.

The turtles went about putting together their packets for the trip. When they had everything they need, they bade fair well to Splinter and the twins on their way out the door.

Michelangelo was the last to go out. "Say, why are they coming with us?" He complained while pointing at Racqel and Flik. "If I have to go, so do they."

"And take up all the fun?" Flik joshed while giving the orange clad turtle a smug look. "Don't worry, we'll keep the place safe from 'monsters'." Mike tried to grab Flik, so as to bring the boy with them, but Raph grabbed the young turtle before he could. "Have fun monster hunting." Flik waved as the turtle was being dragged away.

"You really shouldn't tease him like that." Racqel scolded.

"Why not?" Flik asked. "It's fun."

"Then don't come crying to me when he does something to you as a comeback." Racqel told her brother.

Flik waved a hand at her. "Aw, I'm not afraid of him."

"You should be." Racqel warned. "I've seen him pull some pretty bad stunts."

By night the turtle were still out on their fact-finding mission. Their not coming home didn't seem to bother Master Splinter. Since he didn't seem worried, the twins didn't see any reason why they should be.

**Next Day…**

Master Splinter was meditating in his room while Flik and Racqel were practicing their fighting skills out in the middle of the lair. Racqel, with her two handed sword, swung at her twin brother. Flik brought up his shield in defense while swing his own single handed sword in her direction. Racqel did a back flip to avoid the swing. As she landed Flik sent a lighting bolt her way, but the young girl used a wall of water from the pool to block it. Then she turned the water wall in to a fist and sent at her brother. The young boy used his shield to lessen the impact of the watery punch and was pushed back in the process. Before he was able to retaliate an alarm went off.

"What do you think that could be for?" Flik asked his sister.

"Don't know." Racqel replied as she returned her sword back into earring form. "Let's check it out." She put the earring in her ear while going over to Don's lab. Flik turned his sword back into an earring and his shield turned into a pin. He put the earring into his right ear and his pin through a belt loop on his pants as he followed his sister.

Master Splinter came out of his room. "Is it another one of those creatures?" He asked while joining the twins at the lab. "Have they come close to our home?"

Racqel stared at Don's computer. "I'm not sure yet." She looked down at the keyboard with a finger to her chin. "I don't know what button to press to check around or turn off the alarm."

"How can you not know?" Flik exclaimed. "You should since hang out over here so often."

"But I don't." Racqel snapped. "Um…" With eyes closed the young girl cautiously pressed a button. "Did that do something?"

"Yeah." Flik replied. "It brought up some game called, 'Age of Empires'."

"Really?" The young girl opened her eyes to look at monitor. "I thought of Donnie as more of a 'World of Warcraft' kind of guy." She pressed another button and got the game to go way. "Ok…um…"

Flik looked around Don's lab. "Maybe this should help." The young boy stated while picking up a large binder. "This looks to be instructions for everything." Flik opened up the binder and flipped through the pages. "Ok, it says here that you have press this button to turn off the alarm." He pointed the paragraph he was reading out to his sister.

"Got it." Racqel replied and turned off the alarm. "Ok, now to see what tripped it." She read further before pressing a bunch of other buttons, causing the security cameras to cycle their images through to the monitor. "Nothing from camera one…. Nothing from camera two…."

"Just a moment Racqel." Master Splinter put a hand on the young girl's shoulder. "Do not change."

Racqel stop the cameras from cycling. "What is it Master?"

"There." Master Splinter pointed to a shadow on the screen. "Can you do a close up on that?"

"I can try." Racqel looked a back at her brother. "Flik?"

"Already looking that up." The young boy said as he flipped through binder. "Found it." He held it out for her to read.

"Ok, closing in." Racqel said while typing away. "Waiting for the image to…clear…." The images were a bunch of Foot Soldiers, with flashlights, running down a tunnel. She continued the cycling of the cameras, having their images come to the monitor again. "Oh snap!" The young girl groaned when she saw that there were more black ninjas running the tunnels now.

"Not precisely what I would have said, but very well put." Master Splinter replied.

"What could they want?" Racqel questioned.

"It would seem that the Foot have decided to search the sewers for our home." Master Splinter answered.

"But the Shredder is gone." Flik pointed out. "What use would it be to find this place?"

"Any kind reasons." Master Splinter replied. "Vengeance, revenge, satisfaction that their master's enemy is dead."

"And us." Racqel added morbidly.

"Great." Flik ran a hand through his hair. "So now what are we going to do?"

"Stay where we are." Master Splinter answered. "With so many Foot Soldiers about it will not be safe to venture out."

"But what about the guys?" Racqel exclaimed. "They don't know that the Shredder's minions are here. What if they come back and bring those guys back with them by mistake?"

Flik brought out his Shell Cell. "Best give the guys a call." After a few minutes he hung up and tried again. "There is no answer."

"I'll look them up on the computer, see where they are." Racqel typed way at the keyboard. "I know that their cells are on, but they're not coming up anywhere."

"Maybe they're in a spot that's blocking their frequency." Flik suggested.

"If that is the case, then we must go find them before they end up bring the Foot back to the lair." Master Splinter ordered.

"Should we take the Sewer Slider?" Racqel questioned. "It would be the quickest way to finding them."

"No." Master Splinter answered. "We do not want to alert the Foot in any way."

Flik crossed his arms. "Alright, but where do we start looking for them?"

"At that hole we found yesterday." Racqel replied. "They must have started their search there." It took them about an hour to reach the abandon subway. But to their misfortunate, they found the hole in the wall blocked by a cave in. "Geez, I hope they're ok." Racqel commented.

"I'm sure that they are." Master Splinter answered reassuringly. "But it would seem that we are at a dead end."

"Then we'll have to find another way in." Racqel replied with sigh.

**Meanwhile …**

Down in a cavern the turtles were talking to someone from an ancient city. He wanted them and the humans that he said he was restoring, to stay so that they all could rebuild the place back to the way it once was. But the turtles didn't want to stay and they knew that the others didn't want to either. When they voiced their answer the man got mad and said that he would make them stay. At first it didn't look like they were going to be able to defeat him, but Michelangelo was able to out smart the guy by trapping the ancient man in his regenerative device.

With him gone the turtles went about freeing all the humans from their crystal catalysts. Razor Fist was the last one to be freed, which was done by Donatello. He watched the crystal fall off the monster to reveal its human form. Razor Fist was a young boy of about sixteen. He had fluffy short brown hair, kind looking brown eyes, and was quite muscular. Looking at Razor Fist's human form made the turtle feeling like he had seen the guy before.

But then Donatello thought it impossible to have seen this human before, because he and the other humans captured by the Foot had been down below for almost two years. However Don couldn't dismiss the fact that Razor Fist had something on his right shoulder that he had definitely seen before. A tattoo looking rose that was, maybe for the moment, purple. '_Just like the twins._'

Suddenly the turtle in purple received a tap on the head. "Is there something I can do for you?" Razor Fist asked.

This made Donatello realize that he nose was practically pressed into the boy's shoulder as he was looking at it. "Uh…sorry." The young turtle apologized while taking a step back. "It's just that…never mind." Don gave his head a quick scratch. '_Could be…? Nah. It can't be._'

Deciding to leave the matter to rest, the young turtle joined his brothers in helping the humans to find something to wear before leaving the underground city. But as they were, leaving Don couldn't help staring at the human Razor Fist. '_I know it looks like him, but he's dead. She said he was dead. So whoever you're thinking of, stop._'

The young boy noticed the turtle staring at him again and asked, "What?"

"Nothing…it's just that you look like someone I've seen before…or at least a picture of." Donatello replied.

Razor Fist arched an eyebrow. "Oh?"

'_Oh just ask him already, you know you want to._' Donatello thought. '_And the sooner you do it, the sooner you realized how wrong you are and can get over it._' He took in a deep breath. "Do you know a…"

Suddenly there was a gasp from Quarry. "No! It can not be." Then a bunch of frantic murmuring came from the other humans.

Quickly the turtles rushed to the entrance and saw what worried the humans. The one called 'Rock Biter' had just stepped part way out of the light from the entrance and into the darkness of the cave. In doing so the upper half of his body turned back into a monster, while his lower half stayed human. Wasting no time the turtles quickly brought Rock Biter back into the cavern's light and he turned back to 'normal'.

"He…he reverted back just as he stepped out of the cavern." Quarry explained. "Why?"

Donatello thought back to what was said to him and his brothers. '_As we speak, the power of the cavern's crystal moon is refusing them with regenerative energy._' He led everyone back into the cavern. "There, I think that's the cause." The young turtle said while pointing to a large crystal in the center. "Remember? He said it provides regenerative energy. Stray too far from it and it seems that the effects reverse themselves."

"Then…we can't leave this city?" Quarry questioned. "I don't believe it. He got what he wanted after all." She added morbidly.

"We'll figure this all out." Leonardo replied. "Don's pretty good at…"

"No." Quarry interjected. "We can't let you stay." She looked back at the others and they nodded in agreement. "Who knows how long it would take?"

"Look. Just taking off is not our style." Michelangelo stated sternly.

"Please. You have your own lives to get back to." Quarry replied. "Believe me. If a solution is here, we'll find it."

"I'll keep studying the crystals." Donatello told her. "We can beat this."

"And then we'll be back." Leonardo continued.

"That's a promise." Raphael added.

"Thank you." Quarry replied.

From there the two groups parted company. The turtles headed out of the cavern while the humans headed back into the city. As Razor Fist pasted Don, the young turtle could have sworn he heard the young boy whispered something to him. "Don't let her be sad."

Donatello whipped around to look at the young boy. "Wait, what?" He wanted to know if the Razor Fist really said something to him. However it was too late, the boy was already gone. "Is…"

"Donnie! Come on!" Raphael barked.

"Alright, keep your shell on." Donatello answered as he ran to catch up with his brothers.

**Elsewhere…**

Master Splinter, Flik, and Racqel were still trying to find another way into the abandoned subway when they heard a bunch of Foot Soldiers coming their way. Quickly the three jumped into a nearby tunnel, hiding in the shadow that it cast, and waited for a while in case any more should come. Then when they thought it was safe they started to venture out. But before they got too far out, they heard more water splashing and they ducked back into the tunnel. This time they were joined by the ones they were looking for.

The turtles had heard something running towards their directions and jumped into the tunnel to hide. "Foot ninjas?" Leonardo questioned when he saw what ran by.

"What are they doing down here." Raphael inquired.

Glad to see that his sons were alright, Master Splinter went forth. He grabbed Mike by the shoulder, turned him around, and covered his mouth. "Shh…"

"What?" Michelangelo whined when his Sensei took the hand way. "I'm the only screamer. You have to cover just my mouth?"

"Master Splinter, what is going on?" Leonardo asked.

"I do not know." Master Splinter replied while shaking his head. "But I believe the Foot is searching the sewers for us."

"They're all over the place." Flik practically exclaimed. "It's like wall to wall ninjas."

"You got to be kidding me." Raphael retorted.

"I wish." Racqel replied.

"We can not reach the lair undetected." Master Splinter told everyone. "We must find a new place to stay and fast."

"Sure." Flik responded. "But where?"

Michelangelo thought for a moment. "Hey I know just the place." He said excitedly.

**Moments later…**

April opened her door and was shock to see four turtles, a rat, and twin children. "Hey April." Michelangelo greeted. "Ghoulish mudpack girl." He walked right by her into the store.

"Mind if we bunk upstairs in your apartment for awhile?" Leonardo asked while going past her.

Raphael followed his elder brother in. "Hey what's ta eat?"

"You got digital cable, right?" Donatello inquired as he went in.

"Hi April." The twins sheepish waved when they went past her, following the others.

Something broke from inside the shop and Michelangelo replied, "Sorry."

Master Splinter was the last to enter. "Miss O'Neil, your hospitality is very much appreciated."

April was left stunned at the door, wondering what she had just gotten herself into.

* * *

_A/N2: I have been so wanting to write and post this chapter. _

_You know, they never had any backgrounds for the humans who were turned into monsters in the underground, but I'm glad they didn't. It gave me some inspiration to make this story even more mysterious. But I hope I haven't added too much. Oo;_


	23. Just Can't Shake the Feeling

_A/N: Been a while, hasn't it? Now this isn't the greatest chapter written, I'll admit, but I need some kind of transition. Hopefully the next chapter will be a bit better than this one. (Crosses fingers) _

* * *

_Happens after 'The King'_

**Just Can't Shake the Feeling**

**Don's POV**

With all the excitement that happened last night, I had currently forgotten about the underground city incident and about those poor people stuck there. Of all the times to not be able to get back to the lair it had to happen now.

Ok, you know, I could go on thinking that I'm worried about those people or I could just get on with the truth. And the truth is that I'm just thinking about that one guy…Razor Fist. I'm really kicking my shell now for not just coming out asking what his name was.

Why? Why did I have to start beating around the bush like I did? If I had just asked his name I wouldn't be worrying like I am. Basically worrying about what I'm going to tell Racqel.

Course I haven't told her about him. I mean, it's not like I could go up to her and say, 'Hey, guess what? Saw your old, dead, boyfriend. He's down in an underground city, condemned to live there for the rest of his life unless I come up with a cure for him not to turn into some kind of mindless beast.'

But if I did, how would she react? Would she want to go down there to be with him or would she be on my back about find the cure so that he could come back to her? What if she decides to leave me to go back to him?

…wait, what am I thinking? First she would actually have to believe that the guy I saw was really him. She might think I was seeing something not there or she might even thing I was playing some kind of cruel joke on her. You know, mocking her misery and all that.

Either way, I think I'm screw on whether to tell her or not. Don't tell and when he really comes back she'll be mad at me. Tell and one of two things happens, she'll think it some bad joke or she'll pine to have him back.

But wait, why am I being so negative about all this? Chance are…she might not care? Of course she'd care, but that's not the point. Point is she might not just leave me to go back to him. I mean, she said she was over him, right? So she…why do I sound like some jealous alpha male trying to protect what I think is mine from some imaginary competition? And why would I think that Racqel would be that way? Only Raph pictures her that way at times.

Still, I don't know whether I should or should not tell her. Hmmm…Flik is next to me, looking out the open window near mine. I should ask him, but he looks kinda troubled. I wonder why.

**Flik POV**

Something is not right, I can feel it. Something bad is going to go down…soon, too soon. What that event will be is unknown, yet I want to put my finger on what it might be.

A tapping on my shoulder? Oh, it's Donnie. "What the matter?"

"Bad feeling."

"What do you mean dragon boy?" Raph yelled from his spot in the middle of the living room. He was sitting on the arm of the couch, playing poker with Mikey and sis.

"Nothing that concerns you, Raphie." I said as I turned around to look at him.

Raph jumped up from his seat. "Ya ain't got da right ta use dat name."

"And ya need ta work on yer language skills." I mocked, which got Raph's face to turn almost the same color of his bandana. And to add insult to injury, I pulled down on the corner of my right eye while sticking out my tongue at him. Boy it's fun messing with him. I can see why Mikey likes to do it so much.

Course I'm sure the turtle would have ripped out my tongue and stuff it back down my throat, if Racqel had step in as the usual interference. "Chill out you two, we don't have the room to fight among ourselves." This got Raph to sit down with a grunt and a scowl. '_You shouldn't bug him like that._' Sis scolded telepathically.

'_Aw, but its fun._' I sent back.

'_Mikey does that kind of thing for fun and you've seen what happens to him._'

'_I know, where do you think I learned it from?_'

Racqel rolled her eyes at me. "Thick as thieves, you two are. And I'm not just talking about you're relationship either." She tapped the side of my head so that I would get what she was referring to. "Not to mention it will be the death of you guys too." In return I flashed her one of my 'innocent' smiles. The one that says 'who would want to hurt little ol' me?' Again she rolled her eyes at me. "So what's bugging you anyway?"

I looked back out the window. "Omens."

"What kind?"

"The air…it feels…warm."

"That's impossible." Donnie stated matter-of-factly. "Winter will be here soon, in the next couple of days will be my bet."

"I know, but I felt a warm breeze blow by not long ago."

"Maybe global warming is finally hitting us." Michelangelo said jokingly.

"Or maybe he's sick." April suggested as she poked her head into the room for a moment.

Racqel put a hand to my forehead. I looked up at it for a moment, slightly debating on knocking it away or gently pushing it off. "There's another omen." I pointed out the window. "Tell me, what's a summer constellation doing out in this time of year? Explain that one to me."

Racqel took her hand off my forehead before she and Donnie looked out the window to see Sagitta the Arrow. Donnie tried to think up some sort of scientific way to logically explain things while Racqel looked back at me and shrugged.

"I think yer just nuts." Raph said crudely. "Omens. Pffft."

I turned my head back towards Raph's direction, to say something equal rude in turn, but Racqel put up a hand over my mouth to stop me. I figured that she was worried another fight would break out. But it really to wait for someone else to say something.

"Raphael!" Splinter said sternly. "You should not mock." He was sitting in an armchair next to the couch and on the side Raph was sitting on.

"But Sensei…"

"Tell me, Raphael. Would you mock me if it were I who were seeing these omens. Or would you take them seriously as one should?"

"Understood Sensei."

Well that will keep him off my case…for a while anyway. Seeing him get in trouble made me smile. Of course, with her hand over my mouth, Racqel could feel it and she turned my head back to face her. "What?" I said innocently, once she removed her hand.

Oh look, another eye roll from sis. "I think you should try meditation." She suggested. "Some times it helps me when I come to a cryptic futuristic impasse."

**Racqel POV**

Flik thought for a moment before nodding. "Maybe I'll even ask Splinter to help me out. You know that I'm not good at meditating." He told me.

"Yeah, you and sitting still don't seem to go together very well." I replied jokingly. "You always look like you've got ants in your pants."

"Ha, ha." Flik gave a smirk before going over to Master Splinter. After a brief conversation the two went into another part of the apartment where it would be quiet enough for them to concentrate.

I turned to Donnie, only to see him avoid looking at me by turning back to the window he was in front of. I really wish I knew what was bugging him. He's been so quiet since coming back from that strange trip he and his brothers went on in the underground city. Who knew that the sewer of New York were so big.

Course his mood got a bit more depressing after his new friend, Kirby, got left back in another dimension. Guess he kinda blames himself for not trying his hardest to get Kirby out. But knowing D, he'll think of a way. As for right now…I guess I'll have to wait until Donnie wants to open up. And if he doesn't want to, that's alright. We're all entitled to our secrets. After all, I had a few I've kept from him so it's only fair.

Deciding to leave Donnie alone with his contemplations, I went back to the poker game I was having with Raphael and Michelangelo. Being as it was my turn to deal I took a card from the top of the deck and one from the bottom, setting them to the side, before handing out the cards. Don't know why I start a deal like that, but it's been a force of habit for years. First card went to Mike, second went to Raph, third to myself, and so on until each of us had five cards.

Looking at my cards I felt a brief moment of excitement seeing a flush on the first dealt, but the feeling quickly went away when I realized that they were all spades. According to those card-reading books I've read, spades foretold that bad things were to come and what I had in my hand wasn't going get any better.

Forgetting the poker game I laid the cards down on the table. "What are ya doin?" Raphael exclaimed.

I ignored him as I stared at the cards. '_Eight spades up means illness. Nine up means bad news. King, hostile person. Jack, boastful person. Ten up means grief._' I gulped hard as I took the deck of cards up and dealt out another round of cards in the same way I did before, only I put my cards faced up under the line already on the table. The first three cards were an ace and two tens. '_Hmmm…Pair of aces means friendship, triple tens means heavy losses…ruins? This isn't making sense now._' Next two cards were another seven and an ace. '_Seven of spades, up, means daily trouble. Nothing to worry about there I guess. But the extra ace makes three in total and that means temporary trouble._' A flick upside my head made me look up. "What?"

"What-are-you-doing?" Raphael asked slowly.

"Card reading." I replied. "I'm seeing what tomorrow will bring."

"With playing cards?" Michelangelo questioned.

"Fortune telling isn't just for taro cards." I told him as I took up the two cards I had put to the side and placed them below the two lines of cards; they were an ace and a seven. '_Now two sevens means ill health and four aces means danger or…loss._' I think my face turned white as I looked at the ace held I held in my hand, it was the ace of spades upside down. '_Death?_'

"So what's it all mean?" Michelangelo asked. "Is it something bad?"

I looked at him, my throat was almost too dry to speak. "It means…" I looked back down at the cards. "It means…nothing." And quickly swept them up. "I was just pulling your leg. You can't read the future with a deck of cards."

"I thought so." Raphael said smugly.

I opened my mouth to say something, but then thought it best to say nothing at all. Maybe…if I believe my lie was true, whatever would happen tomorrow would not happen.

**That Night** (over all view)

The night slumber was pretty uneventful. Donatello was asleep on the back of the couch, Michelangelo on the couch, and Raphael in front of it. Master Splinter took to sleeping upright in an armchair that was by the couch where Mike's head was, while Leonardo slept in an armchair across from his sensei with his feet propped up on a coffee table. Luna, in tiger mode, laid by the side of Leo's chair with the twins sleeping on her side.

Nearing dawn Racqel was hit with a strange dream that she couldn't really explain. It was a bunch of visuals and feelings, which she was not used to. Usually when she had such dreams there were a bit more detail. However what she got was the feeling of being extremely hot, like she was really close to a heater. A fire burst up in front of her and moved all around as a bird flew out of those growing flames. The bird sang in a voice that was so familiar, she could almost put her finger on it…and yet she also could not. Then the bird made a sudden dive at her, pass her, and swept up an…injured Leonardo? Or was he dying? She couldn't really tell. As the bird flew away with Leo in its claws, Racqel could see a Foot symbol on its back.

Seeing the symbol and hearing an eerie laugh made Racqel wake up in a near pool of sweat and she shot up, breathing hard. Clutching her head Racqel tried to remember what she just dreamt and why. At first she started to link it back to the card reading she did the night before. '_Death of a loved one…did that mean Leo?_' She looked at the chair behind her for her 'big brother', but he wasn't there.

"He's gone out for his daily run." Master Splinter informed her when he saw her looking around.

"Was that wise?" Racqel questioned. "I mean the Foot and all are out there looking for us."

"Leonardo can handle himself just fine." Master Splinter answered. But he didn't sound so convincing. Then he noticed the drained color from Racqel's skin. "Did you have a bad dream?"

Racqel hesitated to answer for a moment. "Yes…"

"Is it one that I should be concerned about?" Master Splinter asked. Secretly he hoped that it wasn't, because it would just enforce his own feelings. Since they first moved into April's apartment, the elder rat felt deep down in his bones that something bad was going to go down. Flik's omen observing confirmed it, although meditation brought nothing forth, and now Racqel's dreaming could just enforced it. '_Maybe I shouldn't have let Leonardo go._'

Racqel thought about her answer carefully. She wasn't sure herself and didn't want to bring on any unnecessary alarm. Just as the young girl was about to say something, Michelangelo let out a scream and everyone (save for Mike and Splinter) jumped to their feet in a defensive pose.

"What? What is it?" Raphael cried out. "Is it the Foot?"

"Nah." Michelangelo replied. "I slept on my hand and it got all numb. So when in landed on my face, I thought it was something else."

"You moron." Donatello said to his orange clad brother.

"Give me a heart attack." Flik scolded while clutching his chest.

Master Splinter looked back at Racqel, waiting for his answer. But thanks to the scare that Michelangelo gave her, she couldn't remember what it was she dreamt about. It was like it just leapt out of her head or something. And because she forgot, Racqel wrote the whole thing of as nothing worth worrying about. It was probably something she ate that caused her to have it in the first place.

But even though the young girl wrote off her dream, she couldn't help feeling some kind of weird feeling throughout the day. It was a feeling that sat irritatingly in the back of her mind like an itchy flea bite. She hated having that kind of feeling, because every time she experienced it meant that something really was going to go wrong and she actually had the answer to how to avoid it, stop it, or get through it.

However it wouldn't be until night was coming that everything would fit together. Remembering the dream, understanding the omens and the knowing what card reading had told would suddenly make sense. And it would all start with Leonardo crashing through a window.

* * *

_A/N2: Like I said, not the best chapter. I didn't know how well I was going to have it come out, but I knew I was just going to give rehash hints of what was going to happen in the episode this chapter is leading to. _

_On a side note: The fortune telling I have in this chapter is real. I have a deck of cards that are exactly like playing cards (except it doesn't have 2 through 6) and there are instructions on how to read them. When I saw how to tell the future for the next day, I thought it would fit perfectly with this story._

_Anyway, thanks for reading. Until next time._


End file.
